Charles Dickens, English Author

Charles Dickens, bust portrait, facing slightly right. Charles John Huffam Dickens (February 7, 1812 - June 9, 1870) was an English author and social critic. He created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. Dickens was the literary colossus of his age and his works enjoyed unprecedented fame. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, is one of the most influential works ever written, and it remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Set in London and Paris, his 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, is the best selling novel of all time. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly installments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. The installment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. He suffered a series of strokes and died in 1870 at the age of 58. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner, he was laid to rest in the Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey. Lithographer Eliphalet M. Brown, 1839

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom

1812 Dickens Dickensian Victoriana

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