More than a hundred years after his death, there are all kinds of rumors about the author's fascination with little girls. His Alice who had those famous adventures in Wonderland was based on a real girl of the same name. He took many pictures of her and others of her age in provocative, sometimes nude, poses, and some later authors and experts hint that there were hidden sexual messages in them.

If Lewis Carroll were alive today and writing his stories about Alice, would he be considered just as much of a pedophiliac as those who prey on kids on the internet? There's no documentation, but the debate go on and on.

None of the many rumors about the author has been proven, including that he was Jack the Ripper and used opium for inspiration in his writings. However, all the records show that the shy bachelor author was fascinated by Alice and her two sisters, hung out with them and dedicated his books to the girls. Another whispered tale is that the reason he was always at their house was because he was having an affair with their mother.

Born in 1832 to a large upper middle-class family in Cheshire, England, Charles Dodgson spent his boyhood at Rugby, the boarding school where the game was invented. He was graduated from Oxford, became a junior faculty member there and began his writing career. It was also when he met his Alice, the pre-teen daughter of a senior professor and Dodgson's boss.

Dodgson qualified as an Anglican deacon, but instead of a church career, he preferred to become a serious writer, and dabble in a dozen other intellectual pursuits, including his controversial photos of little girls. His chosen pen name, Lewis Carroll, was said to be a Latinized switch of his first two names.

His "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" were great financial successes, and are still very popular children's books worldwide. He wrote one more short Alice novel, "What Alice Found There", many short stories and poems, often in the nonsense patter of his books.

Charles Dodgson (Carroll) died in 1898 at age 66, leaving behind a legacy of immortal children's books, and many rumors about his lifestyle that are still debated today.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Biography: Lewis Carroll?
We want to hear your view. Write now!