Remembering Charles Dickens on His Death Anniv.

Today (June 9) marks the 150th anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens, the renowned English novelist and author. 

He is considered one of the finest Victorian authors, with some literature experts ranking him second only to William Shakespeare in the field of English literature. 

Dickens is famous for creating some of the world's best-known fictional characters such as Ebenezer Scrooge and David Copperfield in his novels.

Dickens, who passed away due to an apparent stroke on June 9, 1870, wrote more than a dozen major novels, numerous short stories (including Christmas-themed stories, ghost stories, and baby stories), several plays, non-fiction books, and compelling essays and articles. His influential work has been translated into every major language and his plays are performed worldwide.

Throughout his career, Dickens was seen as a popular entertainer with a fertile imagination. Later critics praised his mastery of prose and his creation of memorable characters such as Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, and David Copperfield. The overwhelming success of his English novels and short stories both during his lifetime and in the present is evidenced by the fact that none of his works have ever gone out of print. Dickens played a significant role in popularizing the serialized novel and is remembered as the greatest writer of his time.

Born in Portsmouth to John Dickens, a naval pay clerk, and Elizabeth Dickens, he initially worked as a law clerk, a junior office position with the potential to become a lawyer. Disliking the law as a profession, Dickens transitioned to becoming a journalist after a brief stint as a court stenographer. He reported parliamentary debates and traveled across Britain by stagecoach to cover election campaigns.

At the age of 50, he embarked on a new career, producing the first of a remarkable series of novels, establishing him as the father of the English novel. In the 1840s and 1850s, Dickens' writings were extremely popular in England and widely read. During this time, he was also widely expected to be a potential successor to the great English writer, Shakespeare.