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Charles John Huffam Dickens is born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, England. He was the second of eight children in his family.

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At the age of 12, Dickens' father, John Dickens, was imprisoned for debt. This event forced young Charles to leave school and work at a blacking factory to support his family.

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After working as a clerk in a lawyer's office, he learnt shorthand and became a parliamentary reporter and journalist.

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In April 1836, Dickens marries Catherine Hogarth. The couple eventually has ten children together.

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Oliver Twist, the story of an orphan boy who endures harsh conditions in a workhouse and later falls into the clutches of a criminal gang in London, is published in instalments

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Charles Dickens visits America for the first time and makes a second trip later.

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Charles fall sin love with an 18-year-old actress and leaves his wife.

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Dickens embarks on a second tour of the United States, where he is received warmly and gives many readings of his works.

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Charles Dickens dies on June 9, 1870, at Gad's Hill Place in Higham, Kent. He leaves behind a legacy of timeless literary works.