Experiencing the worst and best of life during the Victorian Age, Dickens was not merely the conduit through whom some of the most beloved characters in literature came into the world-- he was one of them. Wilson looks back from the legendary writer's death to recall the key events in his life. In doing so, he seeks to understand Dickens' creative genius and enduring popularity. Following his life from cradle to grave, it becomes clear that Dickens's fiction drew from his life-- a fact he acknowledged. Dickens knew firsthand the poverty and pain his characters endured, including the scandal of a failed marriage. Revisiting the wellspring of Dickens's vast and wild imagination, Wilson reveals why his novels captured the hearts of nineteenth century readers-- and why they continue to resonate today.