At the beginning of the 19th century a little boy was born in the family of John Dickens, a clerk at an office in Portsmouth, and was named Charles. He had a sister who was older than himself, and there were several other children in the family. When Charles was seven, he was sent to school. He was not a strong child. He did not like to play cricket or football and spent all his free time reading. In 1821 the family went to London, and little Charles left behind him the happiest years of his childhood. His father was in money difficulties, and the family became poorer and poorer. The boy had to give up his studies. Mr. Dickens was put into a debtors' prison. Little Charles learned to know all the horrors and cruelty of a large capitalist city. He had to go to work at a blacking factory. He worked there from morning till night. When his father came out of prison, Charles was sent to school for some time. Soon he got work as a clerk. Then he learned stenography and became a reporter in Parliament. In 1836 at the age of 24 Charles Dickens published his first book. It was a collection of stories. The title of the book was "Sketches by Boz." These were followed by "Pickwick Papers" and "Oliver Twist" and many other famous novels. Charles Dickens is one of the greatest writers of the 19th century. His novels are now translated into most languages of the world.
