Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was born in Portsmouth, England, and spent most of his life in London. When he was twelve, his father was sent to debtor's prison and he was forced to work in a boot polish factory, an experience that marked him for life. He became a passionate advocate of social reform and the most popular writer of the Victorian era.
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"The power of [Dickens] is so amazing, that the reader at once becomes his captive, and must follow him whithersoever he leads." --William Makepeace Thackeray
