Charles Dickens was born into fairly comfortable circumstances in Portsmouth in 1812, but his father incurred considerable debt and was eventually imprisoned. At the age of 12, Dickens had to work in a shoe blacking factory and was only able to continue his education at 15. In 1833, he began a career in journalism and his first novel, The Pickwick Papers (1836-37), established him as an author. By the time of his death in 1870, he was the world's most popular writer.