Oliver Twist

OLIVER TWIST

The author:

First edition:

The Adventures of Oliver Twist, 1837-1838.

Main illustrators:

In short:

In an impoverished environment, Oliver's first years are a pure nightmare: beatten, exploited, haited. Exhausted, he runs away to London, where he is caught by a bunch of criminals.
He is taken ill when under arrest but luckily he is set free and taken in by M. Brownlow. For the first time, there's somebody who takes care of him. But the criminals kidnap him again and force him to help them in a burglary. The deed is a failure and Oliver gets injured. He finally joins M. Brownlow and discover the secret of his birth.

Selection of edition:

Oliver Twist, illustrated by George Cruikshank.
Oliver Twist, illustrated by J. Mahoney, 1870.
Oliver Twist, illustrated by Edmund Hort New, 1900.
Oliver Twist, French translation by Jean Muray, illustrated by Beuville, Hachette, collection "Bibliothèque Verte Diamant", 1972, 254 p.
Oliver Twist, translated by Jean Muray, illustrated by Jean-Claude Götting, Hachette, collection "Aventure Verte", 1994, 286 p.

More about Oliver Twist:

Oliver Twist was inicially published in monthly parts, and in 1838 it appeared in volume form. It's a book based on a social and philanthropistic tendency, which tries to make the reader realize that the picture of criminals given by many contemporary novelist is wrong. Dickens' aim is to show how criminality is born and how dens of inquity are not that interesting and romantic places. With Oliver Twist, the miserable and destituted child becomes a recurrent character in literature.
The first illustrator of the book, Cruikshank, has interpreted the character in a perfect way, depicting him rather pale, thin and delicate, a neoclassical angel figure sorrounded by the worst evil creatures of London.

The adaptations:

Oliver Twist, film directed by Frank Lloyd in 1922.