Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic, widely recognized as a literary genius. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. G. K. Chesterton took great interest in the literature of Charles Dickens, writing several books concerning his life and his works: Charles Dickens — Biographical Sketch Charles Dickens — Critical Study Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens