Charles Dickens · Karl Marx Were Charles Dickens and Karl Marx alive at the same time? Yes. Charles Dickens and Karl Marx were alive at the same time for 52 years, from 1818 to 1870. Charles Dickens was 6 when Karl Marx was born.Karl Marx was 52 when Charles Dickens died, aged 58. Charles DickensEnglish novelist and social criticBorn 7 February 1812 · died 9 June 1870, aged 58Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64 NapoleonAbraham LincolnCharles DickensKarl MarxMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert Einstein Charles Dickens and Karl Marx in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.