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Charles Dickens - Early years

Where did Charles Dickens spend his happiest childhood years?

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Portrait of Charles Dickens seated at a desk, writing with a quill pen, dressed in a suit with a bow tie. — Charles Dickens English novelist Charles Dickens working at his craft. Dickens published some of most beloved novels in English literature, including A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.

Charles Dickens spent his happiest childhood years in Chatham, where he lived from 1817 to 1822. This period was significant enough that he frequently revisited the area in his fiction.1