Novelist, most famous for Vanity Fair
Known as a distinguished satirist, William Makepeace Thackeray is most famous for his novel Vanity Fair. He attacked high society with his words, taking aim at the institutions that made up Britain at the time. In his day, he was considered second only to Charles Dickens in the UK’s literary world.
Born in Calcutta to parents of Anglo-Indian descent, Thackeray was to spend most of his childhood away from his family. His father died when he was five years old and his mother stayed in India, where she married her childhood sweetheart. Thackeray was educated at boarding schools in the UK, where he was frequently the victim of corporal punishment. His memories of these early abuses were to weave their way into his works. Thackeray attended Trinity College, Cambridge, but spent much of his time at parties and in gambling dens, leaving the university without a degree after just two years. Although he did not excel academically, his experiences gave him both contacts and a love of literature.
Thackeray spent time in Germany after university, where he learned German and read the German romantics. When he returned to Britain, he flirted with studying law but his heavy drinking and gambling lead him to abort his studies. He subsequently put a considerable sum into a newspaper which he went on to edit, The National Standard. The paper did not last long, but gave Thackeray his first step in the world of writing.
Thackeray went on to work as a freelance journalist and he also worked on fiction, publishing his work under comic pseudonyms. His travel writings, however, garnered serious attention and he began a proper literary career. The humorous publication Punch gave Thackeray gainful employment and he spent time in London and Paris, writing for the publication, along with Fraser’s Magazine. In Paris, he met his wife, with whom he would have three children.
Vanity Fair, published in 1848, brought Thackeray into the spotlight. Although it did not succeed at first, once it gained attention it sold around 7,000 copies a month. This novel was shortly followed by Pendennis, and comparisons began to be made with Charles Dickens, although the latter was far more popular with the general public. With his literary successes, acclaim came from across the Atlantic and Thackeray went on to tour America twice. He drew upon American influences for his later works.
Known to be a devoted father to his children and a caring husband to his wife, who suffered from depression, Thackeray overcame the issues that came from the idleness of youth. His work has received wide acclaim, though Vanity Fair remains the text most associated with him. Although this book mocks those who seek to attain the heights of high society, Thackeray broke into the very world he scorned.
Born in Calcutta to parents of Anglo-Indian descent, Thackeray was to spend most of his childhood away from his family. His father died when he was five years old and his mother stayed in India, where she married her childhood sweetheart. Thackeray was educated at boarding schools in the UK, where he was frequently the victim of corporal punishment. His memories of these early abuses were to weave their way into his works. Thackeray attended Trinity College, Cambridge, but spent much of his time at parties and in gambling dens, leaving the university without a degree after just two years. Although he did not excel academically, his experiences gave him both contacts and a love of literature.
Thackeray spent time in Germany after university, where he learned German and read the German romantics. When he returned to Britain, he flirted with studying law but his heavy drinking and gambling lead him to abort his studies. He subsequently put a considerable sum into a newspaper which he went on to edit, The National Standard. The paper did not last long, but gave Thackeray his first step in the world of writing.
Thackeray went on to work as a freelance journalist and he also worked on fiction, publishing his work under comic pseudonyms. His travel writings, however, garnered serious attention and he began a proper literary career. The humorous publication Punch gave Thackeray gainful employment and he spent time in London and Paris, writing for the publication, along with Fraser’s Magazine. In Paris, he met his wife, with whom he would have three children.
Vanity Fair, published in 1848, brought Thackeray into the spotlight. Although it did not succeed at first, once it gained attention it sold around 7,000 copies a month. This novel was shortly followed by Pendennis, and comparisons began to be made with Charles Dickens, although the latter was far more popular with the general public. With his literary successes, acclaim came from across the Atlantic and Thackeray went on to tour America twice. He drew upon American influences for his later works.
Known to be a devoted father to his children and a caring husband to his wife, who suffered from depression, Thackeray overcame the issues that came from the idleness of youth. His work has received wide acclaim, though Vanity Fair remains the text most associated with him. Although this book mocks those who seek to attain the heights of high society, Thackeray broke into the very world he scorned.
