Charles Dickens – 19th-century English novelist; Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol; a Victorian classic. Rose from poverty, worked in a factory, shaping his concern for social injustice. His novels blend realism, satire, and sentiment, with characters that became cultural icons.
📚 Oliver Twist was among the first novels with a child from the slums as hero. 📰 Worked as a parliamentary reporter and journalist. 🎭 Loved acting and gave dramatic public readings of his works. 🚂 Survived the Staplehurst rail crash in 1865. 🖋️ His prose mixed humour, social critique, and sentimentality. 🏛️ Advocated reform of schools, orphanages, and prisons. 🌍 His books translated into 50+ languages. 📔 A Christmas Carol helped revive Christmas traditions in England. 💼 As a child, worked in a blacking factory while his father was in debtor’s prison. 🧐 Bleak House pioneered multiple narrators in the novel form. 📜 His funeral drew thousands – a true national event. 🧐 Curious: loved night walks in London, often covering 20+ km. 😄 Funny: kept a pet raven, Grip, which inspired Edgar Allan Poe.