Charles Dickens Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are still widely read today. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of
Charles Kent (English writer) Charles Kent (English writer) Charles (William Charles Mark) Kent (1823-1902) was an English poet, biographer, and journalist, born in London. After completing his education at Prior Park and Oscott, he became editor of the "Sun" (1845–70), studied law at the same time and was called to the bar in 1859 as a member of Middle Temple, but thereafter devoted himself to literature. He edited "Weekly Register", a Roman Catholic paper (1874–81). A personal friend of Charles Dickens, he contributed to "Household Words" and "All the Year Round" under Dickens's editorship and to other periodicals. Several volumes of poems, published previously