Book description
Joseph Grimald (1778 - 1837), one of the greatest English clowns
and pantomimes of all time, was born in London to an Italian
ballet-master and a dancer in the theatre's corps-de-ballet. The death
of Grimaldi's father when he was nine plunged the family into debt. He
was introduced to the stage at the age of two and began performing at
the Sadler's Wells theatre at the age of three. Grimaldi's fame as a
pantomime clown was unequalled and he is credited as an innovator. He
introduced the tradition of audience participation, of poking fun at
spectators, and presented to the world in his performance as Joey, the
modern clown as a central character. He was the original 'Clown Joey',
the term 'Joey' being used to describe clowns since his day. Of his
own name he punned 'I am grim all day-but I make you laugh at night!'
Yet he died a poor and physically crippled man. A memorial service is
held every year in Hackney on the first Sunday joined by hundreds of
clowns from all over the world and followed by a show for children. In
1837 Charles Dickens, then twenty-five years old, was asked to tidy
up' Grimaldi's autobiography. He ended up re-writing most of it and
the result is a work comparable to Dickens's famous early successes,
Sketches of Boz and The Pickwick Papers, both of which had appeared
the year before.
CHARLES DICKENS (1812 - 1870) was born in Portsmouth, the second of
eight children. He began working in a London boot-blacking factory at
the age of twelve to help support his family after his father was
imprisoned for debt. The family later recovered financial stability
through inheritance but his experience in the factory at a tender age
and the living conditions of working-class people became major themes of
his works as he championed the causes of the poor and oppressed. A
worldwide literary phenomenon in his lifetime and renowned as much for
his journalism and public speaking as for his novels, Charles Dickens
now ranks as the most important Victorian writer and one of the most
influential and popular authors in the English language. His memorable
and vividly rendered characters and his combination of humour, trenchant
satire and compassion have left an indelible mark on our collective
imagination.
