William Makepeace Thackeray (July 18, 1811-December 24, 1863) was a famous British novelist most popular for his work Vanity Fair (1848), a sweeping review of 19th century English society. Other novels of note include include, Pendennis (1848) and The Orphan of Pimlico (1876). Ranked only second to Charles Dickens in his time, Thackeray's simple vocabulary and honest view of life keeps him as one of the great Realism writers.