In honor of Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday, Google is celebrating with a new Doodle. The search engine replaced its official logo on its homepage with an illustration of some of the author’s classic characters, including Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Pip.

In honor of Dickens’ birth, Britain is hosting several celebrations today, including actors who have appeared in adaptations of his work-Ralph Fiennes, Gillian Anderson, Sheila Hancock and Simon Callow-performing in the author’s birthplace, Portsmouth, Hampshire. The Prince of Wales will visit Westminister Abbey to lay a wreath at Dickens’ burial in Poets’ Corner. Prince Charles is also expected to visit London’s Dickens Museum.

Dickens was known for publicly reading his work, which enhanced his celebrity. While the writer was well-known, what wasn’t publicized was that he drew on his own experiences with poverty when writing his novels. Dickens began working at a blacking factory at age 12, after his father was put in a debtors’ prison.

But by his 20s, Dickens, who worked as a law reporter and newspaper reporter, became famous for ‘The Pickwick Papers.’ He would then go on to write such classics as ‘David Copperfield,’ ‘Bleak House,’ ‘Nicholas Nickleby’ and ‘Great Expectations.’ ‘David Copperfield’ is believed to be the writer’s most autobiographical novel, disguising much of his childhood, as well his favorite.

Dickens married Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of a newspaper editor, in 1836. They had 10 children before the author left Hogarth and became involved with teen actress Ellen Ternan. He later died in June 1870 from a cerebral hemorrhage at his Gad’s Hill home.

Written by: Karen Benardello