Digging in the archives can reveal surprising stories from the past, which sometimes alter our perspectives on histories we think we know well. This video explores the fascinating evidence uncovered by archivist Rose Wild at The Times in London, who reveals how an old news story of an African Londoner named Henry Murphy – purported to capture children into a life of pickpocketing – could have been the inspiration for the character of Fagin in Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist. For further discussion read this article on The Griot Website.

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