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Fagin the Jew
In FAGIN THE JEW, Eisner proves himself to be not only a master of comic storytelling, but also an incisive literary and social critic. This project was first conceived as an introduction to a pictorial adaptation of Oliver Twist, but as he learned more about the history of Dickens-era Jewish life in London, Eisner uncovered intriguing material that led him to create this new work. In the course of his research, Eisner came to believe that Dickens had not intended to defame Jews in his famous depiction. By referring to Fagin as “the Jew” throughout the book, however, he had perpetuated the common prejudice; his fictional creation imbedded itself in the public’s imagination as the classic profile of a Jew. In his award-winning style, Eisner recasts the notorious villain as a complex and troubled antihero and gives him the opportunity to tell his tale in his own words. Depicting Fagin’s choices and actions within a historical context, Eisner captures the details of life in London’s Ashkenazi community and brilliantly re-creates the social milieu of Dickensian England.
Eisner's fresh, compelling look at prejudice, poverty, and anti-Semitism lends an extraordinary richness to his artwork, ever evocative and complex. Like the modern classics Maus and The Jew of New York, FAGIN THE JEW blends image and prose in an unforgettable exploration of history.
Eisner's fresh, compelling look at prejudice, poverty, and anti-Semitism lends an extraordinary richness to his artwork, ever evocative and complex. Like the modern classics Maus and The Jew of New York, FAGIN THE JEW blends image and prose in an unforgettable exploration of history.
127 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Will Eisner
741 books519 followersWilliam Erwin Eisner was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series The Spirit (1940–1952) was noted for its experiments in content and form. In 1978, he popularized the term "graphic novel" with the publication of his book A Contract with God. He was an early contributor to formal comics studies with his book Comics and Sequential Art (1985). The Eisner Award was named in his honor and is given to recognize achievements each year in the comics medium; he was one of the three inaugural inductees to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.
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March 18, 2018
Will Eisner began his career as a cartoonist in 1937, in an era in our cultural history when stereotypical caricatures based on ethnic origin were accepted as fashionable humor.
After an interruption in 1945 for military service, and as the rising civil rights movement became more prominent, he became aware of the social implications of racial stereotypes. Since stereotype is an essential tool in the language of graphic storytelling, it is necessary for cartoonists to recognize the impact of racial profiling on social judgement.
It was with this awareness of the influence of imagery on the popular culture that he began to produce graphic novels with themes of Jewish ethnicity and the prejudice Jews still face. For Will Eisner, combating the persistence of evil stereotypes, became an obsessive pursuit.
Charles Dickens's classic Oliver Twist has created one of the most famous Jewish stereotype characters in all of fiction ... Fagin.
By referring to Fagin as "The Jew" throughout the book, Dickens encouraged the prejudice against the Jews and the stereotype of Fagin the Jew established itself in popular culture and prejudice. Fagin is not a character with which any self-respecting Jew would identify. Utterly bereft of decency, Fagin seems scarcely human. When not compared with subhuman creatures like reptiles, Fagin is associated with the superhuman evil of Satan.
Vitriolic and profoundly anti-semitic illustrations by George Cruikshank, enhanced the reading experience of Dickens's Oliver Twist.
Will Eisner felt he had no choice but to undertake a more truthful portrait of Fagin by telling his life story. This graphic novel is an attempt to challenge and overturn this toxic stereotype. Because Dickens's Fagin was a devil figure, he's never given more than a hint of a past. By contrast, Eisner's Fagin has a back story. Eisner humanized Fagin and gave him a past, a family, experiences of prejudice and injustice, and causes for becoming a criminal. Fagin is a product of a Jewish ghetto and his milieu of the London underworld of poverty and crime.
"I am Fagin the Jew of Oliver Twist. This is my story, one that has remained untold and overlooked in the book by Charles Dickens. I was born Moses Fagin, the only son of Abraham and his wife, Rachael. They came from Bohemia, having been expelled along with the rest of the Jews in that region. My parents arrived in London along with other Jews fleeing Middle Europe. How they managed the journey, God only knows. Here they found a better community, where Jews were not subject to special laws or legal pogroms. England was a country that had long been a refuge for Spanish and Portuguese Jews known as Sephardim. They were the earliest to arrive and had become well established, whereas the newly arriving Middle Europeans were regarded as lower class. Germans, Poles, and the like were called Ashkenazim. I was an infant when my parents brought me here, hoping they would find a good life for us! But for us, even London life was not so simple. These were grim times, and yet the best of times for us newcomers. We were uneducated, and endured pauperdom perfumed by the promise of opportunity."
After an interruption in 1945 for military service, and as the rising civil rights movement became more prominent, he became aware of the social implications of racial stereotypes. Since stereotype is an essential tool in the language of graphic storytelling, it is necessary for cartoonists to recognize the impact of racial profiling on social judgement.
It was with this awareness of the influence of imagery on the popular culture that he began to produce graphic novels with themes of Jewish ethnicity and the prejudice Jews still face. For Will Eisner, combating the persistence of evil stereotypes, became an obsessive pursuit.
Charles Dickens's classic Oliver Twist has created one of the most famous Jewish stereotype characters in all of fiction ... Fagin.
By referring to Fagin as "The Jew" throughout the book, Dickens encouraged the prejudice against the Jews and the stereotype of Fagin the Jew established itself in popular culture and prejudice. Fagin is not a character with which any self-respecting Jew would identify. Utterly bereft of decency, Fagin seems scarcely human. When not compared with subhuman creatures like reptiles, Fagin is associated with the superhuman evil of Satan.
Vitriolic and profoundly anti-semitic illustrations by George Cruikshank, enhanced the reading experience of Dickens's Oliver Twist.
Will Eisner felt he had no choice but to undertake a more truthful portrait of Fagin by telling his life story. This graphic novel is an attempt to challenge and overturn this toxic stereotype. Because Dickens's Fagin was a devil figure, he's never given more than a hint of a past. By contrast, Eisner's Fagin has a back story. Eisner humanized Fagin and gave him a past, a family, experiences of prejudice and injustice, and causes for becoming a criminal. Fagin is a product of a Jewish ghetto and his milieu of the London underworld of poverty and crime.
"I am Fagin the Jew of Oliver Twist. This is my story, one that has remained untold and overlooked in the book by Charles Dickens. I was born Moses Fagin, the only son of Abraham and his wife, Rachael. They came from Bohemia, having been expelled along with the rest of the Jews in that region. My parents arrived in London along with other Jews fleeing Middle Europe. How they managed the journey, God only knows. Here they found a better community, where Jews were not subject to special laws or legal pogroms. England was a country that had long been a refuge for Spanish and Portuguese Jews known as Sephardim. They were the earliest to arrive and had become well established, whereas the newly arriving Middle Europeans were regarded as lower class. Germans, Poles, and the like were called Ashkenazim. I was an infant when my parents brought me here, hoping they would find a good life for us! But for us, even London life was not so simple. These were grim times, and yet the best of times for us newcomers. We were uneducated, and endured pauperdom perfumed by the promise of opportunity."
January 4, 2018
Will Eisner’s The Spirit features a racist stereotype of an African American, Ebony, depicted in the (typically racist) manner of the day. He never thought of it as problematic at the time, but as he began to be bothered by stereotypes, he sought to redress this offense in a certain way. He felt Fagin, in Oliver Twist, was a racist depiction of a Jew (a separate excerpt of Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist and Fagin the Jew was once published; and yes, it was published with that title, so Fagin AS a Jew was intended by Dickens).
Eisner writes an introduction and afterword about his own racist stereotyping, about Fagin, and about the stereotyping of Jews in literature and comics, with references. The tale of Moses Fagin he tells in this book is a kind of origin story so we can come to understand where Fagin was coming from--Eastern Europe, specifically. Fagin, now living in London, is the victim of anti-Semitism in London, forced to steal for a living.
The story is okay, pretty short, nothing really engaging, not surprising, and it’s not one of Eisner’s great works, such as Contract with God. It makes Eisner’s point, which is a good one. And the art is both typically expressive Eisner, and fits the style of Victorian London.
Eisner writes an introduction and afterword about his own racist stereotyping, about Fagin, and about the stereotyping of Jews in literature and comics, with references. The tale of Moses Fagin he tells in this book is a kind of origin story so we can come to understand where Fagin was coming from--Eastern Europe, specifically. Fagin, now living in London, is the victim of anti-Semitism in London, forced to steal for a living.
The story is okay, pretty short, nothing really engaging, not surprising, and it’s not one of Eisner’s great works, such as Contract with God. It makes Eisner’s point, which is a good one. And the art is both typically expressive Eisner, and fits the style of Victorian London.
August 27, 2015
Will Eisner created a superhero comic called The Spirit in the 1940s which had a supporting character called Ebony, drawn as a racist stereotype. It wasn’t just Eisner doing this though, Ebony was indicative of how blacks were depicted in comics in this era - pick up a copy of Herge’s Tintin in the Congo and prepare to be shocked!
Unfair (not to mention offensive) stereotypes bothered Eisner in his later years and he sought to redress the balance of how Jews were traditionally depicted. His focus was Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist where illustrator George Cruikshank drew Fagin as the stereotypical hook-nosed Jew. (Odd that Eisner didn’t try to go back and humanise Ebony but then Eisner was Jewish, not black, so I guess Ebony’s portrayal didn’t bother him THAT much). The result is Fagin the Jew.
Moses Fagin’s origin story is much like many Jews’ stories from the late 18th/early 19th centuries. His family immigrated from Eastern Europe and were shunned by British society. Fagin’s father was forced to steal to keep his family fed leading to an early death and a young Fagin also having to learn a criminal lifestyle to survive, despite wanting an education and a legitimate job.
Fagin’s story is a tragic one but isn’t very compelling either - it’s basically Fagin gets kicked again and again until he decides to become a full blown thief. Then at roughly the halfway mark it becomes a retelling of Oliver Twist. So much for Fagin’s story then, I guess it’s now all about a kid called Oliver!
The art is very expressive and the poverty of Victorian England is something Eisner draws really well. His best work focused on drab cityscapes like in the Contract With God Trilogy and he does fine work with the shabby hovels Fagin and Oliver live in.
Eisner does humanise Fagin more than Dickens did, and does away with Cruikshank’s design of Fagin, so I suppose this comic was successful in that regard. But do people really view Jews today as the Victorian caricatures Hitler and his cohorts believed them to be? it seems redundant to say that there was more to Fagin than this sly, scheming Jewish stereotype when most people reading Oliver Twist will know that to be the case anyway - who believes racial stereotypes besides bigoted racists (who’ll unfortunately always be around but are at least a minority)?
Eisner was a great cartoonist but Fagin the Jew is a very minor work that’s far from being a must-read. He takes a safe subject to get outraged about and says nothing special about it.
Unfair (not to mention offensive) stereotypes bothered Eisner in his later years and he sought to redress the balance of how Jews were traditionally depicted. His focus was Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist where illustrator George Cruikshank drew Fagin as the stereotypical hook-nosed Jew. (Odd that Eisner didn’t try to go back and humanise Ebony but then Eisner was Jewish, not black, so I guess Ebony’s portrayal didn’t bother him THAT much). The result is Fagin the Jew.
Moses Fagin’s origin story is much like many Jews’ stories from the late 18th/early 19th centuries. His family immigrated from Eastern Europe and were shunned by British society. Fagin’s father was forced to steal to keep his family fed leading to an early death and a young Fagin also having to learn a criminal lifestyle to survive, despite wanting an education and a legitimate job.
Fagin’s story is a tragic one but isn’t very compelling either - it’s basically Fagin gets kicked again and again until he decides to become a full blown thief. Then at roughly the halfway mark it becomes a retelling of Oliver Twist. So much for Fagin’s story then, I guess it’s now all about a kid called Oliver!
The art is very expressive and the poverty of Victorian England is something Eisner draws really well. His best work focused on drab cityscapes like in the Contract With God Trilogy and he does fine work with the shabby hovels Fagin and Oliver live in.
Eisner does humanise Fagin more than Dickens did, and does away with Cruikshank’s design of Fagin, so I suppose this comic was successful in that regard. But do people really view Jews today as the Victorian caricatures Hitler and his cohorts believed them to be? it seems redundant to say that there was more to Fagin than this sly, scheming Jewish stereotype when most people reading Oliver Twist will know that to be the case anyway - who believes racial stereotypes besides bigoted racists (who’ll unfortunately always be around but are at least a minority)?
Eisner was a great cartoonist but Fagin the Jew is a very minor work that’s far from being a must-read. He takes a safe subject to get outraged about and says nothing special about it.
May 21, 2014
Eisner's stated purpose with this graphic novel is to create a "more truthful stereotype" in his rendering of Fagin than Dickens and the illustrator Cruikshank did in Oliver Twist.
He gives Fagin a backstory and posits him as one of the Ashkenazim (Jews of Middle Europe) that came to London after the more educated Sephardim (those from Portugal and Spain) had arrived. I appreciated the history; it's just a shame Eisner's story isn't more interesting, and the middle is simply a rehash of the plot of Oliver Twist.
Reproductions of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century etchings and prints depicting Jews (these by influential illustrators) are included in the afterword and those hit me the hardest, bringing to mind the way I felt when I saw the propaganda against the Japanese during a visit to the National World War II Museum.
He gives Fagin a backstory and posits him as one of the Ashkenazim (Jews of Middle Europe) that came to London after the more educated Sephardim (those from Portugal and Spain) had arrived. I appreciated the history; it's just a shame Eisner's story isn't more interesting, and the middle is simply a rehash of the plot of Oliver Twist.
Reproductions of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century etchings and prints depicting Jews (these by influential illustrators) are included in the afterword and those hit me the hardest, bringing to mind the way I felt when I saw the propaganda against the Japanese during a visit to the National World War II Museum.
March 26, 2018
This is the story of one of the characters of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" which the said character has set out to make known to look less bad than he was made out to be.
Will Eisner's style of drawing here felt a little Disneyish to me, while the story felt a little too didactic in its purpose. Of course it is important to explain why the antisemitic representation of Fagin in Dickens' novel is (while not surprising in historical context) worthy of criticism and discussion. But this felt a little too "in your face" - which often doesn't achieve the dessired effect.
Will Eisner's style of drawing here felt a little Disneyish to me, while the story felt a little too didactic in its purpose. Of course it is important to explain why the antisemitic representation of Fagin in Dickens' novel is (while not surprising in historical context) worthy of criticism and discussion. But this felt a little too "in your face" - which often doesn't achieve the dessired effect.
July 30, 2018
A retelling of Oliver Twist from the perspective of Dickens' tragic anti-Semitic caricature. This is both an examination of the bigotry of Dickens, and a roundabout mea culpa from Eisner for the anti-Black caricatures prevalent in his classic comic The Spirit. Fagin the Jew is at its best early on, when it imagines a backstory for its titular character and provides a reasonably well-researched look at Jewish life in 19th century England and the debates surrounding assimilation and conversion.
The comic fares less well in its second half, where it turns into a so-so retelling of the main plot of Oliver Twist. In his prime, Eisner could have crafted a brilliant take on sequences like the flight and death of Bill Sikes, but here it feels like an afterthought. Eisner ends things with Fagin in his cell, railing at Dickens himself for his treatment. It's clumsy and on-the-nose, but you never come to an Eisner comic expecting subtlety, and Dickens' dismissive "I'll try to do better next time" is a more-or-less accurate depiction of how the author responded to accusations of anti-Semitism in real life.
The comic fares less well in its second half, where it turns into a so-so retelling of the main plot of Oliver Twist. In his prime, Eisner could have crafted a brilliant take on sequences like the flight and death of Bill Sikes, but here it feels like an afterthought. Eisner ends things with Fagin in his cell, railing at Dickens himself for his treatment. It's clumsy and on-the-nose, but you never come to an Eisner comic expecting subtlety, and Dickens' dismissive "I'll try to do better next time" is a more-or-less accurate depiction of how the author responded to accusations of anti-Semitism in real life.
October 21, 2016
En esta novela gráfica Eisner cuenta la historia de Fagin, el judío de Oliver Twist, en el libro original este personaje es tratado como el villano judío arquetípico de acuerdo con el estereotipo de la época, en la que los inmigrantes judíos eran asociados con la delincuencia y la marginalidad en Inglaterra. Eisner retrata a este personaje de forma más amable, justificando su modo de vida por ser la forma que había tenido de sobrevivir en una inglaterra llena de prejuicios hacia su raza y suavizando su trato hacia los niños que trabajaban para él.
La historia no deja de ser una adaptación de Oliver Twist desde el punto de vista de un Fagin que es maltratado por las circustancias, pero está muy bien contada, y la narrativa visual de Eisner, la caracterización de los personajes, el nivel de detalle en el dibujo... son magistrales.
Como obra aunque quizás no sea una de las más importantes de la carrera de Eisner, es muy buena, lo que pasa es que en su intento de enmendarle la plana a Dickens se pasa de frenada y cae en sus mismos errores... en los textos explicativos, en la propia obra y en el postfacio, pone en relieve la genealogía de los judíos emigrados a Inglaterra y los divide entre sefardíes y Asquenazíes, los primeros provinientes de España y Portugal y los segundos de Alemania y el centro de Europa. En mi opinión se esfuerza demasiado al intentar demostrar el error del ilustrador que usaba Dickens además de otras representaciones de judíos de la época, que mostraban a Fagín y otros judíos con rasgos faciales muy marcados y pelo negro, mientras que Fagin al provenir de centro Europa debería tener rasgos más suaves y pelo claro... justificando así su propia representación de Fagin. No creo que sea su intención (como tampoco creo que fuera la intención de Dickens perpetuar estereotipos) pero parece que por oposición asocia el grupo étnico sefardí con ciertas características negativas, que quiere evitar dando a Fagin un aspecto más centroeuropeo... vamos, que intentando echar por tierra un estereotipo refuerza otro.
Una obra de gran valor que se estropea en el postfacio, mejor no explicar demasiado las cosas y que el lector llegue a sus propias conclusiones.
La historia no deja de ser una adaptación de Oliver Twist desde el punto de vista de un Fagin que es maltratado por las circustancias, pero está muy bien contada, y la narrativa visual de Eisner, la caracterización de los personajes, el nivel de detalle en el dibujo... son magistrales.
Como obra aunque quizás no sea una de las más importantes de la carrera de Eisner, es muy buena, lo que pasa es que en su intento de enmendarle la plana a Dickens se pasa de frenada y cae en sus mismos errores... en los textos explicativos, en la propia obra y en el postfacio, pone en relieve la genealogía de los judíos emigrados a Inglaterra y los divide entre sefardíes y Asquenazíes, los primeros provinientes de España y Portugal y los segundos de Alemania y el centro de Europa. En mi opinión se esfuerza demasiado al intentar demostrar el error del ilustrador que usaba Dickens además de otras representaciones de judíos de la época, que mostraban a Fagín y otros judíos con rasgos faciales muy marcados y pelo negro, mientras que Fagin al provenir de centro Europa debería tener rasgos más suaves y pelo claro... justificando así su propia representación de Fagin. No creo que sea su intención (como tampoco creo que fuera la intención de Dickens perpetuar estereotipos) pero parece que por oposición asocia el grupo étnico sefardí con ciertas características negativas, que quiere evitar dando a Fagin un aspecto más centroeuropeo... vamos, que intentando echar por tierra un estereotipo refuerza otro.
Una obra de gran valor que se estropea en el postfacio, mejor no explicar demasiado las cosas y que el lector llegue a sus propias conclusiones.
November 21, 2017
Graphic novel del 2003, l'ultima della lunga carriera di Eisner, Fagin l'ebreo si pone l'obiettivo di rendere giustizia alla figura dickensiana di Moses Fagin, che dalla sua comparsa in Oliver Twist in poi è sempre stata una sorta di incarnazione dell'ebreo cattivo e avido, che per di più nelle illustrazioni (ma sarebbe meglio chiamarle caricature) viene raffigurato brutto, storto, dai tratti demoniaci. Tutte caratteristiche che sono andate a formare o rafforzare uno stereotipo che Eisner, avvalendosi di fonti autorevoli, cerca di smontare.
Per farlo inventa una storia, la biografia di Fagin dall'infanzia a poco prima dell'impiccagione, quando in carcere riceve la visita di Dickens e gli racconta chi è stato davvero, facendogli promettere che nei suoi prossimi lavori sarà più giusto nei confronti degli ebrei o delle minoranze in generale.
La storia di Fagin è inventata, s'è detto, ma potrebbe benissimo essere quella di molti ebrei ashkenaziti scappati dai pogrom e che hanno trovato rifugio in Inghilterra, dove, ignoranti, poveri ed emarginati, restavano relegati nei bassifondi. Questi ebrei erano per lo più germanici, quindi è evidente che la loro caricatura (ometti bassi, scuri, dai tratti marcati e mediterranei) era sbagliata, probabilmente per pigro riuso di quella creata per gli ebrei sefarditi (spagnoli, portoghesi, "latini"), giunti in Inghilterra un paio di secoli prima e all'epoca di Dickens ben integrati, almeno a livello economico, nella società.
Il Fagin di Eisner non è un eroe, però è un personaggio complesso, dalle molte sfumature, incattivito della vita, dalla sfortuna e dalle scelte sbagliate, ma ancora capace di tenerezza e di gesti di umanità.
Non si tratta di togliere nulla al capolavoro di Dickens, che anzi ora avrei voglia di rileggere (dopo un paio di decenni...), ma è interessante prendere in considerazione anche questo punto di vista.
E poi ovviamente è sempre una gioia ammirare l'arte e in particolare le figure umane tracciate dalla penna di Will Eisner.
Per farlo inventa una storia, la biografia di Fagin dall'infanzia a poco prima dell'impiccagione, quando in carcere riceve la visita di Dickens e gli racconta chi è stato davvero, facendogli promettere che nei suoi prossimi lavori sarà più giusto nei confronti degli ebrei o delle minoranze in generale.
La storia di Fagin è inventata, s'è detto, ma potrebbe benissimo essere quella di molti ebrei ashkenaziti scappati dai pogrom e che hanno trovato rifugio in Inghilterra, dove, ignoranti, poveri ed emarginati, restavano relegati nei bassifondi. Questi ebrei erano per lo più germanici, quindi è evidente che la loro caricatura (ometti bassi, scuri, dai tratti marcati e mediterranei) era sbagliata, probabilmente per pigro riuso di quella creata per gli ebrei sefarditi (spagnoli, portoghesi, "latini"), giunti in Inghilterra un paio di secoli prima e all'epoca di Dickens ben integrati, almeno a livello economico, nella società.
Il Fagin di Eisner non è un eroe, però è un personaggio complesso, dalle molte sfumature, incattivito della vita, dalla sfortuna e dalle scelte sbagliate, ma ancora capace di tenerezza e di gesti di umanità.
Non si tratta di togliere nulla al capolavoro di Dickens, che anzi ora avrei voglia di rileggere (dopo un paio di decenni...), ma è interessante prendere in considerazione anche questo punto di vista.
E poi ovviamente è sempre una gioia ammirare l'arte e in particolare le figure umane tracciate dalla penna di Will Eisner.
November 27, 2016
Bothered by the stereotypical depiction of Jews in classic literature, Will Eisner wrote this story of Fagin, the leader of the youthful gang of pick-pockets in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist. Fagin is frequently referred to as "the Jew" and is depicted as a money-grubbing low-life. Decades after it was published, Dickens removed most of the references to Fagin as a Jew in the 1867 edition. By then, the book was already widely read. In response, Eisner wrote and illustrated a life story for Fagin, making him a more sympathetic character.
Eisner uses a framing device of Dickens visiting Fagin on death row. Fagin explains his story since it "has remained untold and overlooked." [p. 5] He came to London as an infant when his parents fled oppression in central Europe. The community was welcoming. Jews who had fled earlier from the Iberian peninsula were already established in society. The new wave of immigrants from Germany and Poland were looked upon as lower class but they still had opportunities to rise. Fagin had quite a few opportunities in his youth. A combination of bad luck and prejudice kept him in the lower classes, winding up in a penal colony working off a ten-year sentence of servitude. He finally returned to London where the novel's plot begins, leading back to Fagin confronting Dickens over his portrayal. The anger of the scene is mollified by an epilogue giving Fagin a beautiful though hidden legacy.
I haven't read Oliver Twist; I've watched one or two movies long ago; mostly my knowledge of the story is from the musical Oliver! which has a fairly sympathetic portrayal of Fagin. Eisner's work is certainly more sympathetic. His story is founded on historical research, giving the reader a look at different aspects of society and a fuller depiction of the times. Amazingly, this story doesn't suffer from the author's agenda. Eisner weaves a fascinating tale as he builds his case for the unfair negative stereotype reinforced by the novel. Eisner's work is a great companion piece and critique. I am inspired to read Dickens' novel, which shows the corruption of the London criminal world and the horrible treatment of orphans at the time.
Eisner uses a framing device of Dickens visiting Fagin on death row. Fagin explains his story since it "has remained untold and overlooked." [p. 5] He came to London as an infant when his parents fled oppression in central Europe. The community was welcoming. Jews who had fled earlier from the Iberian peninsula were already established in society. The new wave of immigrants from Germany and Poland were looked upon as lower class but they still had opportunities to rise. Fagin had quite a few opportunities in his youth. A combination of bad luck and prejudice kept him in the lower classes, winding up in a penal colony working off a ten-year sentence of servitude. He finally returned to London where the novel's plot begins, leading back to Fagin confronting Dickens over his portrayal. The anger of the scene is mollified by an epilogue giving Fagin a beautiful though hidden legacy.
I haven't read Oliver Twist; I've watched one or two movies long ago; mostly my knowledge of the story is from the musical Oliver! which has a fairly sympathetic portrayal of Fagin. Eisner's work is certainly more sympathetic. His story is founded on historical research, giving the reader a look at different aspects of society and a fuller depiction of the times. Amazingly, this story doesn't suffer from the author's agenda. Eisner weaves a fascinating tale as he builds his case for the unfair negative stereotype reinforced by the novel. Eisner's work is a great companion piece and critique. I am inspired to read Dickens' novel, which shows the corruption of the London criminal world and the horrible treatment of orphans at the time.
July 14, 2021
Be warned, Dear Reader, for here is to be found the long and tragic tale of Fagin the Jew (the enduring villain of Dickens' Oliver Twist), prisoner of fate and birth, who was born unfortunate and experienced a glimmer of hope and good fortune, but who was ultimately unable to escape his circumstances before being returned to the earth from which he came.
With Fagin narrating his own story, acclaimed comics pioneer Will Eisner portrays our titular character as a troubled and complex Jewish man encountering systemic racism, anti-Semitism, poverty and anti-immigrant sentiment in 18th century London as he struggles in his pursuit of prosperity and social acceptance.
A remarkable repudiation of Charles Dickens' famous novel, "Fagin The Jew" is Eisner's tribute to the industry, sacrifice and hardships faced by the immigrant Jewish community, its spirit of thrift, enterprise and hustle
as embodied in the character of Fagin, and a recognition of the injustices it continues to face by way of unchallenged stereotypes in widely-read pieces of classical English literature, chiefly the works of Dickens (Oliver Twist) and Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice).
With Fagin narrating his own story, acclaimed comics pioneer Will Eisner portrays our titular character as a troubled and complex Jewish man encountering systemic racism, anti-Semitism, poverty and anti-immigrant sentiment in 18th century London as he struggles in his pursuit of prosperity and social acceptance.
A remarkable repudiation of Charles Dickens' famous novel, "Fagin The Jew" is Eisner's tribute to the industry, sacrifice and hardships faced by the immigrant Jewish community, its spirit of thrift, enterprise and hustle
as embodied in the character of Fagin, and a recognition of the injustices it continues to face by way of unchallenged stereotypes in widely-read pieces of classical English literature, chiefly the works of Dickens (Oliver Twist) and Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice).
November 17, 2013
A really interesting retelling of Oliver Twist with an aim to retell the character of Fagin. Due to the power of Dickens, the stereotype of Fagin in Oliver Twist furthered a particularly negative stereotype of Jewishness in popular culture. Dickens himself attempted a rewrite years later to reduce this negativity and tried in later years to support the acceptance and assimilation of Jews in society, but Fagin still existed as a powerful, devilish character. Eisner gives Fagin a sympathetic back story and turns him into a real person. He keeps the Dickens tone and pacing as well as the basic story of Oliver Twist. The analytical essays as intro and afterward are as interesting as the story itself.
November 3, 2009
This is a really well done re-telling of the "Oliver Twist" character Fagin... but stripped of derogatory English stereotypes about jews. Eisner practically invokes Dickens and makes him have a sit down with Fagin so that Fagin can explain to him the life a Jewish person living on the streets in that time period in London.
The first thing he does is to visually re-construct Fagin from Sephardi to Ashkenazi, as was more likely for a street or peasant Jew in London at that time.
The rest you can read.
The first thing he does is to visually re-construct Fagin from Sephardi to Ashkenazi, as was more likely for a street or peasant Jew in London at that time.
The rest you can read.
May 4, 2021
In response to Oliver Twist, Will Eisner has created an overlapping narrative that humanizes the character of Fagin and leaves behind the antisemitic stereotype. Fagin is given a backstory and portrayed as a flawed, but not evil, man.
Later editions of this volume include supplementary material describing the history of the Jewish community is 19th Century England that alone make it worth picking up a copy.
Later editions of this volume include supplementary material describing the history of the Jewish community is 19th Century England that alone make it worth picking up a copy.
August 23, 2017
My first graphic novel. It was essentially a retelling of Oliver Twist, but graphically and through the lens of a different character and with an agenda-albeit a good one-demolish our stereotype of Jew=thief.
Nothing too deep here, and it was a quick read. It opened my eyes that graphic novels can be so much more than smut and superheroes.
Nothing too deep here, and it was a quick read. It opened my eyes that graphic novels can be so much more than smut and superheroes.
December 12, 2013
Easily the best thing I've read from the genius, Eisner. So deftly and expertly done. His most beautiful artwork and most sensitive writing. Excellent.
October 10, 2016
Revisión del clásico Oliver Twist contada desde el punto de vista de Fagin. Si te gusta Will Eisner, merece la pena.
December 19, 2016
The beginning was uncompelling, the middle was summary, and the end was preachy. Amazing art, but if it was any shorter I wouldn't stopped reading. 5/10.
January 14, 2019
Will Eisner takes Dickens to task for his creation of Fagin the Jew in this Graphic Novel adaptation of the Classic of Oliver Twist. It is in a lovely hardback format, and has many winning qualities: a Dickensian interpretation of the backstory of Fagin's life, enchantingly well drawn illustrations that add much to the story, and two morality based scenes at the end that add much to the idea of this admonition to Dickens. It is an enjoyable read and well worth exploring. However, I am of the opinion that the comic is in reality a self-defense for Eisner's own racism.
To explain my point, first we must ask the question of whether the character of Fagin the Jew in Oliver Twist was a racist depiction. It is clear that in much of literature, and life of that era, the term Jew is a byword all by itself. For most races racial slurs are assigned. But, for the Jew no other slur is needed. He is a Jew and that seems to be slur enough. Is this fair? No. But, when were slurs ever fair? A better question is, is a novelist responsible for the behavior of his characters? There is no clear cut answer here. You must look at what the author is saying about the behavior of the character. Cervantes wrote in his novel Don Quijote that he should not be held accountable for the story, since it was like a 'stepchild.' He loved this stepchild, and raised him up. But, ultimately he was just presenting him to the world as he was and was not to be held responsible for the person that the child was, since he was not genetically responsible for his character.
In my readings of Oliver Twist, I saw many characters represented as stereotypical depictions. This was consistent with that time period. I did not feel offended that Nancy was always called 'the girl.' I felt that Dickens was saying, 'Here these guys are. They are in a male dominated society, and they think that this is the way to treat a woman. They have no breeding and no good upbringing. This is the way many people are in the world.' I did not feel as if Dickens was sexist in his own thinking. He seemed to be merely depicting these men as the type we see in 'wifebeater' tee-shirts today. That is a far cry from condoning a stereotypical maltreatment of women. Other women in the story were treated well by men, that is women in higher classes of society. Likewise, there was another Jew in Oliver Twist who worked in the Lawyer's household and he was not depicted negatively like Fagin. Likewise, a racial slur was used by Fagin's crowd about an unnamed black at one point in the story.
Actually, I felt an affinity for Fagin the Jew in Oliver Twist. Many good qualities were revealed in his complicated character by Dickens. The reader can not help but like him. He has his flaws, and is hated by Victorian society, just like the street urchins, but he cares for the others. I did not see him as particularly disloyal in reporting to Sikes that Nancy had 'peached.' Nancy did the unforgivable in a thieves circle. She betrayed her comrades. Fagin was terrified that they would be caught. He certainly informed Sikes, and seemed to be wanting to be assured that Sikes would make this problem go away, with a quiet violence. And, ultimately Fagin was not physically violent himself. He used Sikes to do the dirty work. He was a well-rounded character. He seemed to delight in taking care of those around him, even while gaining from their corruption. You could compare Fagin the Jew to King Solomon the Jew in the Bible, whose hands were clean of blood because he had Beniah the Hitman fall on his enemies and rivals.
If I don't feel that Dickens was being prejudicial in his treatment of the Jew, then I have to ask what his point was in the story of Oliver Twist. What was he trying to accomplish? Simply, he was trying to point out the unequal treatment and prejudicial injustice toward the poorer classes of London society. This is where I felt he ultimately cheated the story. I say he cheated because he created a character who was poor and good. Then, it turned out the character was really not poor, but born to well-bred parents. That negated what he was trying to accomplish. He struck a blow at the prevailing idea of the day that people born poor would be a part of the criminal class. Then he succumbed to the idea that the character must have his pedigree proven to be virtuous. What's more, he revealed many prejudices of his day. He painted a stark picture of many prejudices, in the same way that a mirror does. To have pointed them out, even without comment, reveals that he saw them as bad thinking.
In this graphic novel, Eisner does what Dickens did with Oliver in one way. He showed that what caused his behavior was quite different than what the people bringing him up in the world perceived. Yet, Oliver was a good child and did no wrong. Eisner starts the same with Fagin, having him punished for nothing. Then Fagin becomes bad because he must be bad to survive. This is just the opposite of what Dickens did with Oliver. Oliver did not become bad by his bad environment. He remained above it, presumably because of his superior breeding. He was born of good parentage.
Now, for my final question, why did I believe that Eisner was trying to justify his own racism? The graphic novel begins with pre-words and explanations about an early character Eisner created that is a racially negative comic depiction of a black boy who looks like a monkey. It was quite intentionally racist, and later dropped in shame, as it should have been. Eisner reported feeling ashamed over Ebony Ivory when he was later offended by Dickens' depiction of Fagin the Jew. A couple of times Eisner states that it is because of the genius of Dickens' writing that Fagin the Jew is so memorable in literature, and therefore so harmful of a characterization.
I think that Eisner was trying to compare his 'indiscretion' to Dickens' work with Fagin the Jew, and therefore to excuse his behavior under the label of genius. It also gave him an opportunity to reform himself by printing something that expunged his guilt by combating a negative stereotype. That is my opinion. Either way, I don't believe it would excuse Eisner. One final point I did note in the book was that Dickens used the word Christian in creative ways to point out that Christians can be quite hypocritical. So, I didn't see Dickens as being a racist himself.
This graphic novel by Eisner though is definitely a contribution to the literature and a good re-creation, though not as well written as it could be. I liked what he did with those last two scenes where 1.) He brings Dickens into Fagin's jail cell for Fagin to confront him. And, 2.) He revisits Fagin's lost love at the end of the story to dash away the class prejudice. It is a well done piece of work for anyone who likes graphic novels.
To explain my point, first we must ask the question of whether the character of Fagin the Jew in Oliver Twist was a racist depiction. It is clear that in much of literature, and life of that era, the term Jew is a byword all by itself. For most races racial slurs are assigned. But, for the Jew no other slur is needed. He is a Jew and that seems to be slur enough. Is this fair? No. But, when were slurs ever fair? A better question is, is a novelist responsible for the behavior of his characters? There is no clear cut answer here. You must look at what the author is saying about the behavior of the character. Cervantes wrote in his novel Don Quijote that he should not be held accountable for the story, since it was like a 'stepchild.' He loved this stepchild, and raised him up. But, ultimately he was just presenting him to the world as he was and was not to be held responsible for the person that the child was, since he was not genetically responsible for his character.
In my readings of Oliver Twist, I saw many characters represented as stereotypical depictions. This was consistent with that time period. I did not feel offended that Nancy was always called 'the girl.' I felt that Dickens was saying, 'Here these guys are. They are in a male dominated society, and they think that this is the way to treat a woman. They have no breeding and no good upbringing. This is the way many people are in the world.' I did not feel as if Dickens was sexist in his own thinking. He seemed to be merely depicting these men as the type we see in 'wifebeater' tee-shirts today. That is a far cry from condoning a stereotypical maltreatment of women. Other women in the story were treated well by men, that is women in higher classes of society. Likewise, there was another Jew in Oliver Twist who worked in the Lawyer's household and he was not depicted negatively like Fagin. Likewise, a racial slur was used by Fagin's crowd about an unnamed black at one point in the story.
Actually, I felt an affinity for Fagin the Jew in Oliver Twist. Many good qualities were revealed in his complicated character by Dickens. The reader can not help but like him. He has his flaws, and is hated by Victorian society, just like the street urchins, but he cares for the others. I did not see him as particularly disloyal in reporting to Sikes that Nancy had 'peached.' Nancy did the unforgivable in a thieves circle. She betrayed her comrades. Fagin was terrified that they would be caught. He certainly informed Sikes, and seemed to be wanting to be assured that Sikes would make this problem go away, with a quiet violence. And, ultimately Fagin was not physically violent himself. He used Sikes to do the dirty work. He was a well-rounded character. He seemed to delight in taking care of those around him, even while gaining from their corruption. You could compare Fagin the Jew to King Solomon the Jew in the Bible, whose hands were clean of blood because he had Beniah the Hitman fall on his enemies and rivals.
If I don't feel that Dickens was being prejudicial in his treatment of the Jew, then I have to ask what his point was in the story of Oliver Twist. What was he trying to accomplish? Simply, he was trying to point out the unequal treatment and prejudicial injustice toward the poorer classes of London society. This is where I felt he ultimately cheated the story. I say he cheated because he created a character who was poor and good. Then, it turned out the character was really not poor, but born to well-bred parents. That negated what he was trying to accomplish. He struck a blow at the prevailing idea of the day that people born poor would be a part of the criminal class. Then he succumbed to the idea that the character must have his pedigree proven to be virtuous. What's more, he revealed many prejudices of his day. He painted a stark picture of many prejudices, in the same way that a mirror does. To have pointed them out, even without comment, reveals that he saw them as bad thinking.
In this graphic novel, Eisner does what Dickens did with Oliver in one way. He showed that what caused his behavior was quite different than what the people bringing him up in the world perceived. Yet, Oliver was a good child and did no wrong. Eisner starts the same with Fagin, having him punished for nothing. Then Fagin becomes bad because he must be bad to survive. This is just the opposite of what Dickens did with Oliver. Oliver did not become bad by his bad environment. He remained above it, presumably because of his superior breeding. He was born of good parentage.
Now, for my final question, why did I believe that Eisner was trying to justify his own racism? The graphic novel begins with pre-words and explanations about an early character Eisner created that is a racially negative comic depiction of a black boy who looks like a monkey. It was quite intentionally racist, and later dropped in shame, as it should have been. Eisner reported feeling ashamed over Ebony Ivory when he was later offended by Dickens' depiction of Fagin the Jew. A couple of times Eisner states that it is because of the genius of Dickens' writing that Fagin the Jew is so memorable in literature, and therefore so harmful of a characterization.
I think that Eisner was trying to compare his 'indiscretion' to Dickens' work with Fagin the Jew, and therefore to excuse his behavior under the label of genius. It also gave him an opportunity to reform himself by printing something that expunged his guilt by combating a negative stereotype. That is my opinion. Either way, I don't believe it would excuse Eisner. One final point I did note in the book was that Dickens used the word Christian in creative ways to point out that Christians can be quite hypocritical. So, I didn't see Dickens as being a racist himself.
This graphic novel by Eisner though is definitely a contribution to the literature and a good re-creation, though not as well written as it could be. I liked what he did with those last two scenes where 1.) He brings Dickens into Fagin's jail cell for Fagin to confront him. And, 2.) He revisits Fagin's lost love at the end of the story to dash away the class prejudice. It is a well done piece of work for anyone who likes graphic novels.
February 14, 2021
This is basically a retelling of Oliver Twist focusing on the character of Fagin, who was the leader of the group of boy thieves in the novel. I've never read the original novel, but I am somewhat familiar with the story. It seems Dickens presented the character of Fagin in a very racist manner, so Will Eisner attempted to retell the story without the overt racist overtones.
As a political statement, I'm not sure if he accomplished what he set out to do. But as a piece of graphic literature, I think he did a great job. The art is great and the sepia tones really work with this story. Fagin also is given a great and very interesting backstory, plus I got a refresher on the Oliver Twist story.
Overall I think this is a strong graphic novel, whether as social commentary or just a good story.
As a political statement, I'm not sure if he accomplished what he set out to do. But as a piece of graphic literature, I think he did a great job. The art is great and the sepia tones really work with this story. Fagin also is given a great and very interesting backstory, plus I got a refresher on the Oliver Twist story.
Overall I think this is a strong graphic novel, whether as social commentary or just a good story.
August 12, 2021
Excellent re-telling—actually re-weaving and back story construction for Moses Fagin, the pickpocket from Oliver Twist. Although Dickens was aware of the anti-Semitic tones in Victorian literature-including his own-he left quite a bit of harmful stereotypes in his work, especially harmful with the popularity of Fagin and Oliver. Will Eisner (the king of the graphic novel) reworks the Fagin story; in fact, makes it more Dickensian with Fagin’s own orphan origin story, making the character more sympathetic and less stereotypical of the poor Jewish population in London at the time. Eisner tempers the physiognomy of the Jewish characters as well, something Dickens’ own illustrators did not. Great story coupled with great scholarly background and sentiment from Eisner himself. I give it all the stars!
June 4, 2022
To the best of my memory I've never read Oliver Twist! or seen any media version of it. I read this because it was Will Eisner. And the library had a copy. On it was just great. The context set in both forward and afterward added a lot. But really even without any of this, it would have been a good book. The art was just plain terrific, distinctive, descriptive, the characters differentiable. Many of the characters were not especially attractive neither in looks nor action. This is a view of life in England for Ashkenazi Jews that I was just plain unfamiliar with. And eventually Oliver Twist appears. Really this almost makes me want to pick up Dickens. Perhaps the library has other Eisner that I haven't read that I'll read instead.
January 2, 2022
Graphic biography of Fagin which turns into a retelling of Oliver Twist despite the author’s protest. It’s an attempt at reclaiming Fagin’s Jewishness from the depths of the antisemitic caricatures it has generated. I’m not sure it’s wholly successful in turning Moses Fagin into a sympathetic character, but it’s a neat attempt and I’m always here for Eisner’s art and heart.
May 17, 2010
This is Will Eisner’s graphic retelling of Oliver Twist from Fagin’s point of view… literally: Eisner’s structure is to frame the story around an imagined cellblock visit of Charles Dickens on Moses Fagin, with Fagin calling the author to account for a portrayal that has more to do with prevailing, class-based British antisemitism than unique character-based history (as is noted here and has been elsewhere addressed, Dickens uses the word “Jew” as Fagin’s descriptor 257 times in the first 38 chapters). Eisner announces and explains in the book’s forward that his purpose is less about presenting a good tale well-told than to rehabilitate (Moses) Fagin’s reputation and distancing the character from his origins as a stereotype. Less readers miss it, Eisner’s Fagin pointedly asserts his moral: “A Jew is not Fagin any more than a Gentile is Sikes!” (p. 114)
Eisner’s take on the subject – done in typical sepia-washed Eisnerian Mad magazine style visual hyperbole – has potential as a literary and creative premise, notwithstanding his overt agenda. In fact, he might have succeeded in both had he not given short shrift to all his characterizations through an anemic narrative – much that might otherwise have been elaborated as full-fledged scenes instead flies by as paragraph-length exposition. As it is, Eisner’s work here leans so heavily on its relationship to Dickens’ original I doubt it could survive as a work of independent merit. As a companion it’s not terrible, sort of a Cliff’s Notes of Oliver Twist that assumes the reader’s familiarity. (Who will buy this dilute compendium? Who will buy this watered-down plot? But I digress.)
Perhaps fitting to Eisner’s aims, the most interesting parts of this book are the foreword and the appendix, which is where the author tackles head-on his artistic encounters with prejudice. In the former, Eisner (creator of the influential independent '40's/'50's comic The Spirit) wrestles with his own culpability in the creation of the (at least superficially) minstrelsy sidekick Ebony White, a cheap-laughs character he came later to abandon rather than visually rehab or perpetually evolve. Here he empathizes with Dickens’ initially unconscious taint by a corrupt(ing) environment.
In the afterword, Will Eisner publishes illustrations of Sephardic vs. Ashkenazic representations from off the Victorian press, tracks (the consequences of) Jewish immigration and assimilation patterns (and class bias) in Britain, and summarizes Dickens’ published attempts at prosemitic reform post-Twist. This is a fascinating essay in its own right, and coupled with the preface, earns this graphic novel the two stars I give to it.
A quick postscript: I picked this up because we’ve been on something of a Dickens kick of late, taking advantage of Netflix and the local library to watch all of the BBC’s recent adaptations. Leaving aside implausible plot resolutions and the too-good/too-bad-to be-true characters, what’s with Dickens and birthrights/wills, as rags-to-riches plot devices? It’s more than a bit repetitive. Makes me want to seek out Bleak Expectations. (See, e.g., the Wikipedia description of the plot to Series 1, Ep. 3: “Pip finds himself saved from the workhouse with the arrival of a vast sum of money from a stranger.”) Thank heavens Dickens never finished The Mystery of Edwin Drood or goodness knows what Rupert Holmes would have ended up with for a musical.
Eisner’s take on the subject – done in typical sepia-washed Eisnerian Mad magazine style visual hyperbole – has potential as a literary and creative premise, notwithstanding his overt agenda. In fact, he might have succeeded in both had he not given short shrift to all his characterizations through an anemic narrative – much that might otherwise have been elaborated as full-fledged scenes instead flies by as paragraph-length exposition. As it is, Eisner’s work here leans so heavily on its relationship to Dickens’ original I doubt it could survive as a work of independent merit. As a companion it’s not terrible, sort of a Cliff’s Notes of Oliver Twist that assumes the reader’s familiarity. (Who will buy this dilute compendium? Who will buy this watered-down plot? But I digress.)
Perhaps fitting to Eisner’s aims, the most interesting parts of this book are the foreword and the appendix, which is where the author tackles head-on his artistic encounters with prejudice. In the former, Eisner (creator of the influential independent '40's/'50's comic The Spirit) wrestles with his own culpability in the creation of the (at least superficially) minstrelsy sidekick Ebony White, a cheap-laughs character he came later to abandon rather than visually rehab or perpetually evolve. Here he empathizes with Dickens’ initially unconscious taint by a corrupt(ing) environment.
In the afterword, Will Eisner publishes illustrations of Sephardic vs. Ashkenazic representations from off the Victorian press, tracks (the consequences of) Jewish immigration and assimilation patterns (and class bias) in Britain, and summarizes Dickens’ published attempts at prosemitic reform post-Twist. This is a fascinating essay in its own right, and coupled with the preface, earns this graphic novel the two stars I give to it.
A quick postscript: I picked this up because we’ve been on something of a Dickens kick of late, taking advantage of Netflix and the local library to watch all of the BBC’s recent adaptations. Leaving aside implausible plot resolutions and the too-good/too-bad-to be-true characters, what’s with Dickens and birthrights/wills, as rags-to-riches plot devices? It’s more than a bit repetitive. Makes me want to seek out Bleak Expectations. (See, e.g., the Wikipedia description of the plot to Series 1, Ep. 3: “Pip finds himself saved from the workhouse with the arrival of a vast sum of money from a stranger.”) Thank heavens Dickens never finished The Mystery of Edwin Drood or goodness knows what Rupert Holmes would have ended up with for a musical.
October 3, 2024
Kind of lukewarm on late Eisner nowadays, it feels like someone trying a bit too hard to gain critical acclaim. But he’s still a master cartoonist, and this is still and enjoyable and personal work.
May 27, 2015
I'll start off by saying that no matter what I thought about this particular work, there need to be more books like this. Many of the works we consider to be "classics" are full of stereotypes and hurtful caricatures of non-majority races and religions. The idea of rewriting these works to give certain characters a backstory or to make them appear less hurtful is a good one, and I'd be happy to see it employed on other works.
I did find it interesting that Eisner, who admits to creating an politically incorrect African-American caricature in his early cartoon work (Ebony White) did not feel the need to go back and rewrite his own work- but instead focused on tackling Jewish stereotypes in literature. Perhaps he wanted to leave the revising of his own work to someone else? Or perhaps he did not feel qualified to take on his own hurtful and demeaning work? Sometimes it's easier to correct others than it is to correct ourselves.
The story itself bends and twists (no pun intended) the original source material in order to turn Fagin into a benevolent, almost grandfatherly character- very much in contrast to how he's portrayed in Oliver Twist. Despite this, I feel as though Eisner was able to pay homage to much of Dickens's original work- and as previously noted, making Fagin an orphan, having the character "transported" to the colonies, including treasured inheritances, and stolen heirlooms are all very much Dickensian qualities.
I did find it interesting that Eisner, who admits to creating an politically incorrect African-American caricature in his early cartoon work (Ebony White) did not feel the need to go back and rewrite his own work- but instead focused on tackling Jewish stereotypes in literature. Perhaps he wanted to leave the revising of his own work to someone else? Or perhaps he did not feel qualified to take on his own hurtful and demeaning work? Sometimes it's easier to correct others than it is to correct ourselves.
The story itself bends and twists (no pun intended) the original source material in order to turn Fagin into a benevolent, almost grandfatherly character- very much in contrast to how he's portrayed in Oliver Twist. Despite this, I feel as though Eisner was able to pay homage to much of Dickens's original work- and as previously noted, making Fagin an orphan, having the character "transported" to the colonies, including treasured inheritances, and stolen heirlooms are all very much Dickensian qualities.
August 4, 2016
Much as I've always loved Eisner, I wasn't pre-sold on this graphic novel. The idea of an elderly cartoonist grappling with antisemitism via literary revisionism in the context of his own longstanding liberal guilt suggested the possibility that the story might get bogged down in good but fraught intentions.
Well, I needn't have worried. With his usual effortless storytelling, Eisner had created yet another compulsive page-turner, a fascinating reimagining of Dickens's classic OLIVER TWIST focussing on the life and times of a young Jew, struggling to survive in a cruel, unforgiving world.
A book so rich and rewarding, you'll be cheating yourself if you don't begin with Brian Michael Bendis's foreword and read it all the way thru to the acknowledgments.
Well, I needn't have worried. With his usual effortless storytelling, Eisner had created yet another compulsive page-turner, a fascinating reimagining of Dickens's classic OLIVER TWIST focussing on the life and times of a young Jew, struggling to survive in a cruel, unforgiving world.
A book so rich and rewarding, you'll be cheating yourself if you don't begin with Brian Michael Bendis's foreword and read it all the way thru to the acknowledgments.
June 11, 2018
"I was in a bad situation so I did bad things so I was in an even worse situation." I don't find such narratives particularly exonerating. And Fagin doesn't need exoneration; it's the idea that Fagin represents all Jews--that any person represents a group--that needs reflection.
September 13, 2020
Seriously, Charles Dickens can just go f--- himself.
Let me start off this review with what is perhaps obvious: Fagin the Jew is a hard, hard read to get through, and depressing to boot, insofar as unrelenting, open and hostile bigotry (specifically antisemitism) tends to be. But Will Eisner's efforts in Fagin the Jew are nothing short of vital as a read for the 21st century. As literary criticism of Oliver Twist, Fagin the Jew is sharp and pointed; as serious analysis of antisemitism, Fagin the Jew is poignant and revealing.
Recasting the story in Oliver Twist from Fagin's point of view—in-story, told to Dickens himself as Fagin awaits unjust execution—Fagin the Jew heartbreakingly explains all too well the hows and whys and ins and outs of antisemitism in Victorian England, and casts Dickens in an especially negative light, and sharply at that. Jeet Heer's afterword to this 10th anniversary edition puts this image in context especially effectively, and makes abundantly clear that despite Dickens' attempts to recast Jewish folks in a positive light, particularly in his later work Our Mutual Friend, Dickens very clearly never especially understood Jewish folks or portrayed them realistically, never mind non-stereotypically; while Dickens attempted to revise Oliver Twist such that Fagin was less offensively portrayed, the damage was long since done, and Mr. Riah in Our Mutual Friend was so perfect that he was essentially unbelievable as a character, all of which in turn casts Dickens himself negatively.
As both Eisner and Brian Michael Bendis report in their original afterword and introduction, respectively, Eisner originally wrote Fagin the Jew as he eventually realized that his portrayals of Black folks in The Spirit were offensive and bigoted, and Eisner specifically set out to point out how even beloved works of literature can be hurtful and prejudiced. Contrast is made between, say, Our Mutual Friend and Oliver Twist and The Spirit and Fagin the Jew (and considering Jules Feiffer's assessment that the Spirit himself is essentially a Jewish character, this is all the more striking), and Eisner's later work can be seen as penance of sorts, even if Dickens himself did a substandard job of penance himself. Eisner makes clear that literature of all stripes is not necessarily to be accepted statically and at face value, but rather that literature must be seriously critiqued to be of import to modern readers; as such, Fagin the Jew—with its very Dickensian and biting, even pungent, plot twists —represents something very special, a work that improves on the original even as it comments on the same. Fagin the Jew is, to adapt a title by Dave Eggers, a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, and it perhaps represents a culmination of Eisner's entire career, along with his final work, The Plot. Everyone really should read Fagin the Jew, and not just because it plays off a classic; Fagin the Jew even has words to say about contemporary antisemitism, popping up more obviously in 2020, and it Makes One Think about the same.
March 24, 2021
Eigentlich habe ich doch mehrere Einwände gegen die Art und Weise, wie Eisner die Geschichte von Fagin und Oliver hier angeht, doch da die Zeichnungen sehr beeindruckend sind, möchte ich gern vier statt nur drei Sterne geben. Die ausdrucksstarken Bilder reißen wirklich die an sich (meiner Meinung nach) doch eher enttäuschende Geschichte hoch, wobei die Enttäuschung mehr auf dem Teil der Vorgeschichte Fagins liegt, sobald sich Eisner Oliver Twist nähert, wird es interessanter.
Und genau ist mein Haupkritikpunkt: es ist meiner Meinung nach überhaupt nicht nötig, Fagin eine sentimentale Vorgeschichte samt schwerer Jugend zu verpassen, denn man konnte sich auch so denken, dass Fagin aus ähnlich schlimmen Verhältnissen stammt wie Oilver, Dodger, Sikes und Nancy. Besser wäre es gewesen, die Geschichte komplett auf die Handlung von "Oliver Twist" zu beschränken und aus Fagins Sicht zu erzählen.
Der alte Hehler ist eine der interessantesten Figuren in Dickens' Roman, vielleicht sogar die interessanteste, denn er ist ein vielschichtiger Charakter, der bei genauem Hinsehen weder gut noch böse ist. Er ist Olivers Retter, noch vor Mr Brownlow, denn er gibt Oliver ein zu Hause, als der Junge wirklich am Boden der Gesellschaft angekommen ist, ein weggelaufener Waisenjunge ohne Ahnung vom Leben auf der Straße. Bei ihm bekommt Oliver das erste Mal etwas Gutes zu essen, ein vernünftiges Bett und sogar etwas Lob und Zuneigung. Zugleich hat Fagin keine Hemmungen, Oliver an Monks auszuliefern und in die ganze Geschichte auch noch den brutalen Sikes hineinzuziehen. Er hätte Sikes auch vorlügen können, dass Oliver tot sei, erschossen bei dem missglückten Überfall.
Insgesamt aber haderte ich immer etwas mit "Oliver Twist", man merkt diesem frühen Werk von Dickens an, dass der Autor noch sehr den einfachen Massengeschmack bediente und den Figuren relativ wenig Tiefe gab, ganz anders als später in "Great Expectations".
Letztlich kann man den Roman auch so lesen, dass Oliver Fagin, Sikes, Nancy und die Straßenjungen ins Unglück stürzt, bloß, damit er selbst in die feine Gesellschaft aufsteigt. Für Olivers Glück werden definitiv zu viele Opfer gebracht.
Das hätte Eisner gut darstellen können, diese Chance hat er leider nicht genutzt.
Und genau ist mein Haupkritikpunkt: es ist meiner Meinung nach überhaupt nicht nötig, Fagin eine sentimentale Vorgeschichte samt schwerer Jugend zu verpassen, denn man konnte sich auch so denken, dass Fagin aus ähnlich schlimmen Verhältnissen stammt wie Oilver, Dodger, Sikes und Nancy. Besser wäre es gewesen, die Geschichte komplett auf die Handlung von "Oliver Twist" zu beschränken und aus Fagins Sicht zu erzählen.
Der alte Hehler ist eine der interessantesten Figuren in Dickens' Roman, vielleicht sogar die interessanteste, denn er ist ein vielschichtiger Charakter, der bei genauem Hinsehen weder gut noch böse ist. Er ist Olivers Retter, noch vor Mr Brownlow, denn er gibt Oliver ein zu Hause, als der Junge wirklich am Boden der Gesellschaft angekommen ist, ein weggelaufener Waisenjunge ohne Ahnung vom Leben auf der Straße. Bei ihm bekommt Oliver das erste Mal etwas Gutes zu essen, ein vernünftiges Bett und sogar etwas Lob und Zuneigung. Zugleich hat Fagin keine Hemmungen, Oliver an Monks auszuliefern und in die ganze Geschichte auch noch den brutalen Sikes hineinzuziehen. Er hätte Sikes auch vorlügen können, dass Oliver tot sei, erschossen bei dem missglückten Überfall.
Insgesamt aber haderte ich immer etwas mit "Oliver Twist", man merkt diesem frühen Werk von Dickens an, dass der Autor noch sehr den einfachen Massengeschmack bediente und den Figuren relativ wenig Tiefe gab, ganz anders als später in "Great Expectations".
Letztlich kann man den Roman auch so lesen, dass Oliver Fagin, Sikes, Nancy und die Straßenjungen ins Unglück stürzt, bloß, damit er selbst in die feine Gesellschaft aufsteigt. Für Olivers Glück werden definitiv zu viele Opfer gebracht.
Das hätte Eisner gut darstellen können, diese Chance hat er leider nicht genutzt.
August 18, 2019
A graphic novel that re-tells the pre-story and story of Oliver Twist from Fagin's perspective. The first half tells the story of Moses Fagin, an Ashkenazi Jewish boy born in London in tough circumstances who gets a number of opportunities to be honest and succeed but each time gets unfairly fired or framed/convicted/transported and the like, moving further down the rungs of society and further into crime. In many cases he is victimized because he is Jewish. This story is in many ways like Oliver Twist's story, except with more setbacks, a broader social critique, and--of course--without the happy ending. I found this half interesting, especially the depiction of Jewish life in London and the distinction between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews (Will Eisner surmises that Fagan was the former but that Cruikshank drew him as the later, the difference was the former at the time were more recent arrivals in England and lower class and less assimilated).
The second half becomes a retelling of Oliver Twist that is pretty much completely consistent with Dickens but presents a somewhat more complex and tortured psychology for Fagin who is depicted as more trapped by his lot and genuinely protective of his boys than Dickens presents him to be. It does not contradict Dickens but expands on it, slightly.
The artwork in both halves was generally excellent, especially Fagin as he ages and the emotion shown in his face. All nicely Victorian period and expressive. Except Nancy who looks very odd.
The book has a preface and afterward about stereotypes in cartoons where Eisner confesses his guilt at creating the stereotyped black figure of Ebony in The Spirit, talks about why cartoonists do stereotypes, but also the harm they cause in reinforcing these stereotypes. He concludes that Dickens did not mean harm but that he did substantial harm by labelling Fagin "the Jew" in a way he did not, for example, label Sikes "The Christian."
Very worth reading but a little didactic in the point it is focused on making.
The second half becomes a retelling of Oliver Twist that is pretty much completely consistent with Dickens but presents a somewhat more complex and tortured psychology for Fagin who is depicted as more trapped by his lot and genuinely protective of his boys than Dickens presents him to be. It does not contradict Dickens but expands on it, slightly.
The artwork in both halves was generally excellent, especially Fagin as he ages and the emotion shown in his face. All nicely Victorian period and expressive. Except Nancy who looks very odd.
The book has a preface and afterward about stereotypes in cartoons where Eisner confesses his guilt at creating the stereotyped black figure of Ebony in The Spirit, talks about why cartoonists do stereotypes, but also the harm they cause in reinforcing these stereotypes. He concludes that Dickens did not mean harm but that he did substantial harm by labelling Fagin "the Jew" in a way he did not, for example, label Sikes "The Christian."
Very worth reading but a little didactic in the point it is focused on making.
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