Novelist · 1812 – 1870

Charles Dickens

Little-Known Facts

As a boy he was sent to work in a blacking factory when his father was jailed for debt.
His public readings of his own works drew huge, emotional crowds on both sides of the Atlantic.

Did Dickens invent the modern Christmas?

Not single-handedly, but A Christmas Carol hugely popularized many ideas of a warm, generous, family-centred Christmas in the 19th century.