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Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi
Contributor(s): Dickens, Charles (Author), Paul, Cedar (Author), Paul, Eden (Translator)

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ISBN: 1901285944     ISBN-13: 9781901285949
Publisher: Pushkin Collection
OUR PRICE: $19.51  

Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: January 2008
* Out of Print *

Annotation: In 1837, 25-year-old Charles Dickens was asked to "tidy up" the autobiography of Joseph Grimaldi, one of the greatest English clowns and pantomimes of all time and the first to fill the theaters of early 19th-century London. The task was so laborious that Dickens ended up redrafting and rewriting most of it. The result was a work comparable to his famous early successes, such as "Sketches of Boz" and the "Pickwick Papers," both of which appeared the year before. Edited by Dickens from Grimaldi's original journal, the author depicts the pantomime buffoonery and daring physical comedy that underpinned not only the Sadler's Wells stage act, but also undermined Grimaldi's tragic-comic life.

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Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Entertainment & Performing Arts
- Biography & Autobiography | Personal Memoirs
Dewey: B
Series: Pushkin Collection
Physical Information: 1.3" H x 4.7" W x 6.4" L (0.8 lbs) 360 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 18th Century
- Chronological Period - 1800-1850
- Cultural Region - British Isles
Features: Illustrated, Price on Product, Price on Product - Canadian
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
In 1837 Charles Dickens, then twenty-five years old, was asked to 'tidy up' Joseph Grimaldi's autobiography - he ended up re-writing most of it. Joseph Grimaldi (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 generally the modern concept of the clown as such. He died a poor and physically crippled man.

Pushkin Collection editions feature a spare, elegant series style and superior, durable components. The Collection is typeset in Monotype Baskerville, litho-printed on Munken Premium White Paper and notch-bound by the independently owned printer TJ International in Padstow. The covers, with French flaps, are printed on Colorplan Pristine White Paper. Both paper and cover board are acid-free and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

 
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