Biography
Mathematician, Anglican deacon, poet… while you may not be familiar with the works of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, you’re sure to know his most famous work, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, written under his pen name Lewis Carroll. The son and great-grandson of Anglican clergy, Dodgson was born in 1832, the third of 11 children. From a young age, he wrote humorous and satirical short stories which were often published in national papers such as The Comic Times and The Train. A keenly intelligent child, especially at mathematics, he was nevertheless an indifferent student who was easily distracted. In 1854, he graduated from the University of Oxford with first class honours in mathematics and stayed at Christ Church to continue his studies. He remained for the next 26 years in various capacities, including lecturer and librarian.
As an academic, Dodgson published many books on geometry, linear algebra, probability and ciphers. In 1856, he published his first work of fiction under his pen name, Lewis Carroll: the romantic poem Solitude. In 1856, the Liddell family arrived at Christ Church; they would greatly influence Dodgson’s artistic endeavours in the coming years.
In 1862, while out rowing with 10-year old Alice Liddell and her sisters, Dodgson regaled the children with fantastical tales of a young girl and her adventures underground; enthralled, Alive asked him to write them down for her. This he did, and also gave his friend and mentor, George MacDonald, a copy. MacDonald sent it to a publisher, and in 1865 Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland were published, complete with original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel.
An overwhelming success, the book brought him fame and fortune, although he kept his job at Christ Church. In 1871, its sequel Through The Looking Glass, And What Alice Found There was published, followed by The Hunting Of The Snark in 1876.
Fantastical and nonsensical, Lewis Carroll’s books have delighted children and adults ever since they were first published. Offering a childish simplicity and innocent logic to the strangest of situations, they allow readers to fully explore their own imagination.
