Charles Dickens
Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
History of modern literature
Between 1849 and 1861, Charles Dickens' prolific creative outpouring gave us "David Copperfield" (1849–1850), "Bleak House" (1852–1853), "Hard Times" (1854), "Little Dorrit" (1855–1857), "A Tale of Two Cities" (11 July 1859) and "Great Expectations" (1860–1861).