Text 10

Task 1. Read and translate the text. Make the vocabulary of unknown words.

Task 2. Make a short annotation to the text

Charles Dickens

C harles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth (southern coast of England) on February 7, 1812. Charles was the second of eight children. John Dickens, his father, was a naval clerk whose dream was to grow rich. Elizabeth Barrow, his mother, wanted to become a teacher and then a school director. But despite all the parents’ efforts the family remained poor, but still happy.

In search of a better life Dickens’ family often moved. When Charles was four years old, family moved to Chatham, Kent. Six years later they left Chatham for a poor London neighborhood named Camden Town. By that time the financial situation in the family was dire, because John Dickens had a habit to live beyond his means. In 1824 the father of the family was sent to prison for debts.

Charles Dickens was forced to leave school and to help support his family by working at a boot-blacking factory. A few years later Charles got the possibility to return to school because his father received inheritance and paid all his debts. But in 1827, when he was fifteen, he had to leave school again in order to contribute to family’s income.

Charles began to work as an office boy, and this job turned out to become a launching point for his career as a writer. After a few months of work he began to report at London law courts as a freelancer. He was successful and a few years later he reported for two major London newspapers. Charles Dickens took a pseudonym "Boz" and submitted sketches to various newspapers and magazines. His first book published in 1833 consisted of his clippings.

In the same year one he began to publish one by one chapters of his novel "The Posthumous Papers of Pickwick Club". This novel made Dickens wildly popular with readers. Two years later he presents a new novel – "Oliver Twist", which had even greater success. This one was followed by "The Life and Adventure of Nicholas Nickleby" and "Barnaby Rudge". In 1840s Dickens published Christmas stories, among which was the classic "A Christmas Carol".

During 1850s Dickens suffered two losses (deaths of his father and daughter), hard times influenced his works. His darkened worldview could be seen in "Bleak House" and "Little Dorrit".

Among Charles Dickens’s other famous works are "A Tale of Two Cities", "Great Expectations" and "Our Mutual Friend".

In 1836 Charles Dickens married a woman named Catherine Hogarth. She was a daughter of "Evening Chronicle" editor. The couple had ten children but their marriage was not happy. In 1858 they separated.

Charles Dickens was in a train accident in 1865 and never fully recovered. On June 9, 1870 the novelist had a stroke, which was fatal for him. He died in his country home in Kent at age 58. Dickens was buried at Westminster Abbey in Poet’s Corner.

Interesting facts about Charles Dickens

• The writer suffered from epilepsy and made some of his characters suffer from this disease.

• Dickens adored nicknames. He gave them not only to his book characters, but also to his children.

• Charles Dickens was highly interested in the paranormal and was very superstitious.

• The famous novelist always slept with his head pointing north. He thought it helped him in his creative work.

• Dickens helped in creation of a house for "fallen women", where these women were taught reading and writing.

• The writer had a letter opener made of his favorite cat’s claw.

• Dickens had a pet raven (Grip). When the bird died, Dickens stuffed it.