Beloved for his unflinching view of London during the Industrial Revolution and simultaneously feared by anybody who's ever had to do an English Literature exam, Charles Dickens remains a popular novelist. Here are a few interesting facts about the famous British author.
Charles Dickens featured over 100 London locations in just one book.
While many of Dickens' novels feature London heavily, there's one book that features an astounding number of London sites. It's not Great Expectations or Oliver Twist, it's actually Barnaby Rudge - one of Dickens' early historical novels set against the backdrop of London's anti-Catholic Gordon Riots.
Charles Dickens had a difficult childhood.
The author was born to John and Elizabeth Dickens in 1812 out in Portsmouth and had several siblings. They were a poor family and after failing to pay his debts, Charles' father was sent to prison for six months - forcing 12-year-old Charles to work at a boot polish factory for three years and forming the backdrop for his characters' experiences of child labour in Oliver Twist.
Dickens also worked as a journalist before dedicating himself to novels.
Before penning some of Britain's greatest literary works, Dickens actually worked as a journalist for a number of years for the likes of The Mirror of Parliament and The True Sun. He even worked as a parliamentary reporter in 1833 for The Morning Chronicle before his writing career took off in 1836 with The Pickwick Papers. He later became a newspaper editor.
You can still visit Dickens' home in London.
While Dickens moved around a bit, his former home 48 Doughty Street is still standing - and it's been converted into the Charles Dickens Museum. The esteemed writer lived there for a few years in the 1830s and is said to have written three of his famous works there: Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers, and Nicholas Nickleby.
He had ten children and later divorced his wife, Catherine Hogarth.
After over 22 years of marriage and ten children, Charles Dickens and his ex-wife separated in 1858. He once called Catherine 'fat and boring' and alleged that she was mentally unstable and unfit to be a mother to their children. In reality, a year before they divorced, he had met and fallen in love with Ellen Ternan, a young actress.
Dickens was fascinated by magic and the paranormal.
Charles Dickens was something of an amateur magician and even performed professionally at places like Bonchurch and Rockingham Castle. His tricks had names such as 'The Leaping Card Wonder' and 'The Loaf of Bread Wonder' and his love of performance is apparent in his books, where he describes magicians and illusions in detail in books such as Nicholas Nickleby and The Old Curiosity Shop. He also was a member of The Ghost Club.
Charles Dickens had a secret bookcase door.
Before James Bond ever graced our screens, Charles Dickens was living his best espionage life in his Kent home. He had a door installed that was designed to look just like a bookshelf and even chose the book titles himself, which showcased his trademark wit. These included a nine-volume Cats Lives book set and Socrates on Wedlock.
He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
After Dickens had a day-long writing marathon working on his unfinished novel Edwin Drood, he suffered from a stroke and passed away in 1870. He was granted one of Britain's highest honours and buried in the Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey alongside legends like Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare.
Dickens used the word 'kangaroo' during his literary career.
Dickens had a vast vocabulary, but even the word 'kangaroo' was an unusual one for authors of his age. He used it exclusively in his novel David Copperfield, where he writes, "Shall I ever forget how, in a moment, he was the most sanguine of men, looking on to fortune; or how Mrs. Micawber presently discoursed about the habits of the kangaroo!"
Dickens' life was forever changed by a horrific train crash.
In 1865, a terrible train accident called the Staplehurst Rail Crash took place and Charles Dickens was unfortunately caught up in it with his lover Ellen Ternan. While he didn't face any life-threatening injuries and even helped save many passengers, he was very shaken and was never quite well afterwards.
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