From an idyllic childhood in Kent to working in a London factory at twelve, Charles Dickens's formative years are fraught with highs and lows. Deprived of a formal education, Dickens turns to journalism to earn a living. Heartbroken when his first love rejects him, Dickens throws himself into writing and at twenty-five publishes the “Pickwick Papers” that catapults him to fame. The rest is history.