William Makepeace Thackeray

William Makepeace Thackeray was a distinguished 19th-century British novelist and satirist, known for his keen observation of Victorian society and his incisive character portrayals. Born in Calcutta, British India, on July 18, 1811, Thackeray was sent to England after his father's death, where he was educated at Charterhouse and later at Trinity College, Cambridge. Although he left university without a degree, his literary aspirations eventually took root after numerous career experiments. Thackeray's most celebrated novel, 'Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero' (1847-1848), exemplifies his narrative wit and his penetrating analysis of human follies, rendered with a mix of cynicism and compassion. In this work, he coined the term 'Vanity Fair', which has since entered the lexicon to describe a frivolous, appearance-obsessed society. His literary style was marked by a directness and an ability to create intricate and realistic social settings, which allowed him to provide poignant critiques of middle-class morality and pretensions. Other significant works include 'The Luck of Barry Lyndon' (1844), a picaresque adventure later adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick, and 'The History of Pendennis' (1848-1850) among others. Thackeray's influence reaches beyond literature; he lectured extensively and his works have continued to be adapted into various media. He died on December 24, 1863, having left an indelible mark on English literature through his sagacious observations on the human condition.