Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812–1870) – Arguably the most famous Jewish criminal/villain in English literature is Fagin, a central character and the secondary antagonist in Dickens’ 1838 novel, Oliver Twist. He is portrayed as an elderly “receiver of stolen goods” who leads a gang of child pickpockets in London’s criminal underworld. 

Dickens, Charles, (Oliver Twist [originally published in 1838, pb, Penguin Classics, 2003] 978-0141439747

Key Characteristics

Role: He acts as a “fence,” buying and reselling stolen items, and as a mentor to young thieves like the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates.

Personality: Fagin is depicted as manipulative, miserly, and cunning. He often addresses others with the insincere endearment “my dear”.

Physical Description: Dickens initially described him as a “shrivelled” old man with “matted red hair” and a “repulsive face”.

Outcome: At the end of the novel, Fagin is apprehended and executed by hanging for his complicity in a murder. 

Controversy and Antisemitism

Fagin remains one of the most controversial figures in English literature due to his portrayal as a Jewish caricature. See Will Eisner in the U.S. fiction bibliography (pp.83-85) , for his reinterpretation of Fagin.

Original Portrayal: In early editions, Dickens referred to him as “the Jew” over 250 times. After receiving criticism from a Jewish reader, Eliza Davis, in 1863, Dickens expressed regret. He revised later editions of Oliver Twist (notably the 1867–68 version) to remove many references to “the Jew,” substituting it with “Fagin” or “he”.

Rehabilitation: To atone for the character, Dickens later created the character Mr. Riah in Our Mutual Friend (1865), a kind and dignified Jewish man. 

Real-Life Inspiration

Fagin is widely believed to be based on Ikey Solomon, a real-life London criminal and receiver of stolen goods who was famously tried and transported to Australia in the early 19th century. See non-fiction section below in this bibliography for more on Solomons.

Notable Adaptations

The character has been reimagined in numerous stage and screen productions: 

Alec Guinness in the 1948 film Oliver Twist.

Ron Moody in the 1968 musical film Oliver!, who portrayed a more sympathetic, comedic version of the character.,

Will Eisner published a graphic novel, Fagin the Jew (2003), which retells the story from Fagin’s perspective to address the character’s stereotypical roots.

Allison Epstein released a prequel novel, Fagin the Thief (2025), which explores his backstory. [Google, AI]

See also “Rewriting Fagin: A Conversation with Allison Epstein and Nancy Churnin”, by Becca Kantor in the 2025-26 issue of Paper Brigade (Volume 9), published by the Jewish Book Council. This article can be Googled as follows: Rewriting Fagin: A Conversation with Allison Epstein and Nancy Churnin | Jewish Book Council

Dickens, (Our Mutual Friend [originally published in 1865, pb, Penguin Classics, 1998]  978-0140434972 [“Mr. Riah”, an elderly Jewish gentleman, is a central, sympathetic character who serves as a moral counterpoint to the novel’s themes of greed and prejudice. He becomes a devoted friend and “protector” to various characters in the book, saving them from other unscrupulous characters. Historically, Dickens created Mr. Riah as a deliberate “act of atonement” following criticism regarding the anti-Semitic portrayal of Fagin in Oliver Twist. Riah is intentionally depicted as saintly and honorable to challenge the “stage Jew” stereotypes of the Victorian era. Some scholars have suggested the name is derived from the Hebrew word for ”friend” (re’a - רעה), directly linking him to the novel’s title and its central theme of social interconnectedness. [Google/AI]