Fagin

Fagin is a fictional character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. He is the leader of a group of children, the Artful Dodger among them, whom he teaches to make their livings by pickpocketing and other criminal activities. Bill Sikes, one of the major villains of the novel, is one of Fagin's old pupils. Fagin is noted for being one of the few Jewish characters of 19th century literature, let alone any of Dickens' pieces.

Fagin was based on real-life character called Ikey Solomon; there was a recognized speciality in the 19th-century London underworld called a "kidsman": an adult who recruited children and trained them as pickpockets, exchanging shelter, food and training for the stolen goods these children brought to them. Jews were also often associated with fencing (the resale of stolen goods) due to their overrepresentation in the second-hand goods trade, and Solomon, who was from Londons East End, controlled several groups of Child pick-pockets. Judith Sackville O’Donnell wrote a book about the man, and called it "The first Fagin"[1].

Arguably the definitive portrayal of Fagin, among the many stage and screen adaptations of the novel, is Alec Guinness' performance in the 1948 film version directed by David Lean. Ron Moody's portrayal in the musical Oliver!, another memorable version, is recognisably influenced by Guinness' portrayal. More recently, Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley portrays Fagin in Roman Polanski's 2005 screen adaptation.

The renowned comic book creator, Will Eisner, disturbed by the anti-Semitism in the typical depiction of the character, created a graphic novel in 2003 titled Fagin the Jew. In this book, the back story of the character and events of Oliver Twist are depicted from his point of view.