William Makepeace Thackeray (18 July, 1811 – 24 December, 1863) was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.

Life

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Thackeray was born in Calcutta, India, where his father, Richmond Thackeray, worked as secretary to the board of revenue for the British East India Company. William Thackeray's mother, Anne née Beacher, married Richmond on 13 October, 1810 after being sent to India in 1809 by her grandmother. She was sent abroad after her grandmother told her that the man she loved, Henry Charmichael-Smyth, had died. This was a lie on the part of her grandmother, who wished a better marriage for her than a mere ensign, but the lie was revealed in 1812 when Richmond unwittingly invited to dinner the supposed dead man. This shock reunion seems to have weakened their marriage beyond repair and Richmond Thackeray died shortly afterwards on 13 September, 1815. Henry Charmichael-Smyth married Anne in 1818 and they returned to England shortly after.

William was sent to England earlier, at the age of five, with a short stop over at St. Helena where the prisoner Napoleon was pointed out to him. He was educated at schools in Southampton and Chiswick and then at Charterhouse School, where he was a close friend of John Leech. Although an able student he disliked the regimes and masters, parodying them in his later fiction and calling Charterhouse "Slaughterhouse" as at that time it was close to Smithfield Market. He then studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, but his academic performance waned in his second year at Cambridge and he dropped out in 1830.

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A clever, ugly man every now and then is successful with the ladies, but a handsome fool is irresistible. ~William Makepeace Thackeray ~
toya29 (Toya Price-McClarin) Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:26:10 -0000
A clever, ugly man every now and then is successful with the ladies, but a handsome fool is irresistible. ~William Makepeace Thackeray ~
The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, familiar things new. *William Makepeace Thackeray
josephbrady (Joseph Brady) Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:50:41 -0000
The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, familiar things new. *William Makepeace Thackeray
There are many sham diamonds in this life which pass for real, and vice versa. *William Makepeace Thackeray
josephbrady (Joseph Brady) Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:49:17 -0000
There are many sham diamonds in this life which pass for real, and vice versa. *William Makepeace Thackeray
A clever, ugly man every now and then is successful with the ladies, but a handsome fool is irresistible. *William Makepeace Thackeray
josephbrady (Joseph Brady) Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:27:17 -0000
A clever, ugly man every now and then is successful with the ladies, but a handsome fool is irresistible. *William Makepeace Thackeray
Mother is the name of God in the lips and hearts of children. -William Makepeace Thackeray
marilyn97128 (Marilyn Warner) Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:55:59 -0000
Mother is the name of God in the lips and hearts of children. -William Makepeace Thackeray
To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose, the next best. *William Makepeace Thackeray
josephbrady (Joseph Brady) Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:59:32 -0000
To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose, the next best. *William Makepeace Thackeray

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