Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England, on February 7, 1812. He was the foremost English novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner. Considered one of the English language's greatest writers, he was acclaimed for his rich storytelling and memorable characters, and achieved massive worldwide popularity in his lifetime. The popularity of Dickens' novels and short stories has meant that not one has ever gone out of print. Dickens wrote serialised novels, the usual format for fiction at the time, and the reading public eagerly anticipated the arrival of each new part of his stories. Dickens died 1870 at the age of 58.