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Name: Charles Dickens. Birthname: Charles John Huffham Dickens. Born: 7 February 1812. Place of birth: Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK. Spouse: Catherine Hogarth (2 April 1836 - 1858) (separated) 10 children. Died: 9 June 1870 Place of death: Gadshill, England, UK. Cause of death: Stroke.
They don't write them like this any more. A magnificent brooding evocation of London in the middle of the 19th century, disfigured by a pitiless class system, murderous capitalism and a religion that sinks the heart. No-one, not even the most humane and idealistic, is able to escape the clutches of one or other of these evils. All are tainted. That such a sombre novel is also able to be supremely comic might seem a mystery, but isn't: it is laughter that gives us the courage to look into the abyss. Review by Howard Jacobson, whose books include 'The Mighty Waltzer' (Kirkus UK)
