Dickens was born in the seven, February 1812 in Portsmouth. Shortly thereafter, the Dickens' family moved to Chatham, then to London, where his father worked as a clerk in the navy pay office. Dickens' father had a difficult time managing money, his extravagant spending habits brought the family to financial disaster, and in 1824, John Dickens was imprisoned for debt. Charles was withdrawn of his school in the result of the Dickens' father's imprisonment and he must work in a shoe-die factory. After receiving an inheritance several months later, Dickens' father was released from prison.

Dickens' mother would like Charles rest in his work but Dickens' father is against it. Finally, Charles return in his school, but he was forced stopping his schooling and working at 15 years old. Dickens first became a clerk in a law firm, and a stenographer in the courts, and finally a parliamentary and newspaper reporter. In 1833, Dickens gives a comic narrative to accompany engravings. Dickens became internationally popular. He became editor of a monthly magazine entitled Bentley's Miscellany. In 1836, Dickens married with Catherine Hogarth. They had 9 surviving children, before they separated in 1858.

In the next several years, Dickens published a lot of books (giving in serial in a newspaper), like Oliver Twist or a Christmas Carol. In 1858 too, Dickens began a series of paid reading, which became instantly popular, but he was very tired !

In 1869, Dickens moved permanently in his house Gad's Hill, and he died there.