What the Dickens? Third of Brits can't name Great Expectations author A third of British people do not know the author of Great Expectations, a new report has claimed. Thirty one per cent of adults could not name Charles Dickens as the author of the Victorian classic, while one in six were unable to identify William Shakespeare as the writer of Hamlet. The Da Vinci Code was the most widely-read contemporary novel among Brits, followed by Harry Potter, Adrian Mole, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Bridget Jones" Diary. Over a quarter of respondents had not read any of the books considered to be "classics," including popular GCSE novels Animal Farm, Great Expectations, To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies. The report, conducted by Opinium Research, found men read less than women, with 21 per cent admitting to not reading a single book in the last 12 months, compared to 10 per cent of women. The average Brit was found to read seven books a year, with a quarter of UK adults reading less than five books in the last year. Half of respondents blamed lack of time as the biggest factor preventing them from reading more. A quarter said they would prefer to do things that they find more interesting, while 15 per cent would rather watch the film version of a book. When Brits managed to find the time to read, the most popular time was before bed, followed by on holiday. Only five per cent said they read a book on their way to work. James Endersby, managing director of Opinium Research, said: "Unfortunately for many people reading is now a luxury and something which they cannot commit a great deal of time to. Over the summer many will have taken the opportunity to relax with a good book and have hopefully reminded themselves how much they enjoy reading. What would be great is if everyone decided to pick one classic book to read during the winter months, my favourite classic is Cannery Row by John Steinbeck.