paragraph_text: London has been the setting for many works of literature. The literary centres of London have traditionally been hilly Hampstead and (since the early 20th century) Bloomsbury. Writers closely associated with the city are the diarist Samuel Pepys, noted for his eyewitness account of the Great Fire, Charles Dickens, whose representation of a foggy, snowy, grimy London of street sweepers and pickpockets has been a major influence on people's vision of early Victorian London, and Virginia Woolf, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the 20th century.

paragraph_text: Reading Myself and Others (1975) is an anthology of essays, interviews and criticism by the author Philip Roth. The first half of the book is built mainly upon Roth's assessment of his own published works at the time of the anthology's publication. The second half of the volume consists of essays and introductions by Roth about other authors. Many of the essays were occasioned by the abrupt fame and scrutiny which came to Roth upon the publication of his storm-provoking fourth novel, "Portnoy's Complaint" (1969). In the "Author's Note", Roth writes that the selections in the book "are largely the by-products of getting started as a novelist, and then of taking stock."

paragraph_text: Smoke is a novel by bestselling author Lisa Unger writing as Lisa Miscione. It is the fourth and final book featuring Lydia Strong.

paragraph_text: There But For The is a 2011 novel by Scottish author Ali Smith, first published in the UK by Hamish Hamilton and in the US by Pantheon, and set in 2009 and 2010 in Greenwich, London. It was cited by both "The Guardian" book review and the "Publishers Weekly" as one of the best books of the year. and was also longlisted for the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction.

paragraph_text: A Stranger in Mayfair, by Charles Finch, is a mystery set in Mayfair and surrounding neighborhoods in London, England during the Victorian era. It is the fourth novel in the Charles Lenox series.

paragraph_text: The Laughing Cavalier (1624) is a portrait by the Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals in the Wallace Collection in London, which has been described as "one of the most brilliant of all Baroque portraits". The title is an invention of the Victorian public and press, dating from its exhibition in the opening display at the Bethnal Green Museum in 1872–75, just after its arrival in England, after which it was regularly reproduced as a print, and became among of the best known old master paintings in Britain. The unknown subject is in fact not laughing, but can be said to have an enigmatic smile, much amplified by his upturned moustache.

paragraph_text: The Portrait of Philip IV or Philip IV in Brown and Silver is a portrait of Philip IV of Spain painted by Diego Velázquez. It is sometimes known as "Silver Philip" and is now in the National Gallery in London. It was the main portrait of Philip painted by Velázquez in the 1630s, used as the model for many workshop versions.

paragraph_text: A Young Man in a Fur Cap and a Cuirass (probably a Self Portrait) is a 1654 portrait painting by Carel Fabritius. It is an oil painting on canvas of 70.5 by 61.5 cm (27.8 by 24.2 in). The painting is generally considered to be a self-portrait. The work has been in the collection of the National Gallery in London since 1924.

paragraph_text: Keep the Aspidistra Flying, first published in 1936, is a socially critical novel by George Orwell. It is set in 1930s London. The main theme is Gordon Comstock's romantic ambition to defy worship of the money-god and status, and the dismal life that results.

paragraph_text: Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. Cliffhanger endings in his serial publications kept readers in suspense. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her disabilities, Dickens improved the character with positive features. His plots were carefully constructed, and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the illiterate poor chipped in ha'pennies to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers.

paragraph_text: Patricia Grossman is an American novelist. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1951, Grossman moved to New York City to attend Pratt Institute, where she studied drawing and painting. She has an M.F.A. in writing from Sarah Lawrence College and has published six novels, as well as two children's books.

paragraph_text: London Labour and the London Poor is a work of Victorian journalism by Henry Mayhew. In the 1840s he observed, documented, and described the state of working people in London for a series of articles in a newspaper, the "Morning Chronicle", that were later compiled into book form.

paragraph_text: The White Family is a novel by English author Maggie Gee, published in 2002 in London by Saqi Books. It was shortlisted for both the 2003 Orange Prize and the 2004 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

paragraph_text: The Fleet Street Murders, by Charles Finch, is the mystery set in London and in northern England in 1867 during the Victorian era. It is the third novel in the Charles Lenox series.

paragraph_text: Florence MacKubin (or Mackubin) (May 19, 1857 in Florence – February 2, 1918 in Baltimore) was an American portrait painter in miniature, pastel, and oil colors. She painted portraits of prominent people in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as several famous copies of portraits, and exhibited at the Paris Salon, the London Academy, and the National Academy, New York.

paragraph_text: The September Society, by Charles Finch, is the mystery set in Oxford and London, England in autumn 1866, during the Victorian era. It is the second novel in a series featuring gentleman and amateur detective Charles Lenox, and the first of two books Finch has written about Oxford, along with The Last Enchantments.

paragraph_text: The Wheel of Time is a series of high fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney, Jr. under his pen name of Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six - book series, The Wheel of Time spanned fourteen volumes, in addition to a prequel novel and a companion book. Jordan began writing the first volume, The Eye of the World, in 1984, and it was published in January, 1990.

paragraph_text: The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is an autobiographical/psychological thriller novel by Emilie Autumn. It was published in 2009 as a companion to her 2009–2010 North American, European, and Australian tour, the Asylum Tour. The fully illustrated book chronicles Autumn's experiences in a mental ward and a young girl (Emily with a "y") in Victorian England who is admitted into an insane asylum. The second edition was published in 2010 but is now out of print, pending replacement with an updated print edition. An audio book version, narrated by the author, was released in 2016.

paragraph_text: Wim Hofman (Oostkapelle, February 2, 1941) is a Dutch author. After elementary school he joined the seminary in Sterksel, because he wanted to become a missionary. He started writing books early, and published his first novel, "Welwel, de zeer grote tovenaar & zes andere doldwaze verhalen over ridders, tovenaars, matrozen, krentenbollen, cowboys, indianen & over een planeet" in 1969. On February 2, 1970 he married Toke Mertens and moved to Vlissingen, where he still lives. He has two children. Wim Hofman also illustrates his own books, and paints. He won awards for a number of his books.

paragraph_text: Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is the first official portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery, London on 11 January 2013. Paul Emsley was commissioned to paint the Duchess after being selected from a shortlist by Catherine herself. Catherine had announced the National Portrait Gallery as one of her official patronages in January 2012. Emsley took 15 weeks to complete the painting, which was presented to the trustees of the gallery in November 2012. The Duchess, contrary to considerable criticism in the art world, highly praised the portrait after viewing it initially in a private family gathering.

Question: When did the writer whose novels painted a dismal portrait of Victorian London start to write books?
Answer: 1836