8. Charles Dickens got depressed every time he started a new novel, and walked miles to combat insomnia
Another historical great from Britain, the name of Charles Dickens (1812-70) is familiar the world over, where his novels are enjoyed in almost every language. The morals and lessons from stories such as A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and David Copperfield remain relevant nearly two centuries after they were written. Dickens was wildly popular in his own lifetime, enjoying a long career and the respect and admiration of his contemporaries worldwide. After dying suddenly in 1870, Dickens was afforded the greatest honor available to a British writer by being buried in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey.
As is so often the case, Dickens’s great success did nothing to help his depression. According to his friends, Dickens would fall into a period of depression every time he started a new book, which would lift as the work progressed. Like Churchill, it seems that Dickens found solace from his mental illness through his writing. He also exhibited one of the key symptoms of depression, insomnia. He would routinely walk around London until sunrise, in order ‘to get through the night’. On a cold October night in 1857, he even walked 30 miles from London to his Rochester home.
Also Read: See 1842 America Through Charles Dickens’ Eyes.
