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Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 3174
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, December 02, 2004 - 2:02 pm: |       |
MARY JANE KELLY: La dernière victime
Didier Chauvet
Avec cette première biographie de Mary Jane kelly, jeune et jolie prostituée irlandaise à la personnalité si attachante qui fut la dernière victime de Jack l'Eventreur, l'auteur nous replonge au cœur du Londres de la fin du 19e siècle, et dresse un portrait sans fard des mœurs, des soubresauts de l'époque, des conditions de vie inhumaines des déshérités de l'East End, ces quartiers maudits dans lesquels Jack l'Eventreur va frapper en 1888.
ISBN : 2-7475-2524-4 • juin 2002 • 90 pages
Prix éditeur : 9,5 € / 62 FF
_______________________________________________
As best as I can tell, this is a non-fiction biography of Mary Kelly. My copy is in the post - will put up more details once I've actually seen the real thing.
Available for purchase from the publisher at:
http://www.harmattan.fr/index.asp?navig=catalogue&obj=livre&no=10806
Stephen P. Ryder, Exec. Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper |
Maria Giordano
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mariag
Post Number: 132
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 02, 2004 - 2:21 pm: | |
It will be very interesting to see where the author got his "facts" about the slippery Ms. Kelly.
Mags |
Christopher T George
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 1160
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 11:47 am: | |
Hi Spry and Maria
Thanks, Spry, for this. As I read the French blurb, with my admittedly incomplete knowledge of the language, it sounds as if the author Monsieur Didier Chauvet will be focusing to a large degree on the social conditions among the "unfortunates" and the East End generally. This might have enabled him to generate a book-length manuscript by supplementing the meager facts on MJK with material on the prostitutes and others in the grim streets of the East End.
All the best
Chris
Christopher T. George
North American Editor
Ripperologist
http://www.ripperologist.info
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Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 3178
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 12:06 pm: | |
Hi Chris -
You're spot on in terms of the translation of the blurb. We'll see whether Monsieur Chauvet takes a stab at identifying Mary, or if he focuses more on the general conditions Mary would have faced during her time in Whitechapel.
Either way I'm surprised this book escaped our notice, considering its been on the market now for nearly two and a half years!
Stephen P. Ryder, Exec. Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper |
Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 3179
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 12:11 pm: | |
PS: The back cover of the book tells us Monsieur Chauvet was born in 1966 in Bordeaux, and he currently works at the Mérignac library. "This book is the fruit of many months of labor exploring the word of Mary Kelly."
Stephen P. Ryder, Exec. Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper |
Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 1581
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 12:23 pm: | |
Here is a quick translation of the "blurb":
Mary Jane Kelly - The Last Victim
Didier Chauvet
With this, the first biography of Mary Jane Kelly, the young, pretty and endearing Irish prostitute who was the last victim of Jack the Ripper, the author immerses us in the heart of late 19th century London, and creates a portrait which includes the customs, the upheavals of the period, the inhuman living conditions of the disinherited of the East End, those accursed districts in which Jack the Ripper would strike in 1888. |
Christopher T George
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 1162
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 1:04 pm: | |
Hi Chris and Spry
I find it interesting the Neal Sheldon, who has produced fine monographs on certain of the victims, has held off from doing a biography of Mary Jane Kelly, and apparently, from what I understand, does not plan to do one. Neal, please correct me if I am wrong.
To some extent, given the realities of Ripper publishing, it is surprising that someone has not before now published such a book, although from all the unknowns about Mary Jane's early life, it is not in the least surprising.
All the best
Chris
Christopher T. George
North American Editor
Ripperologist
http://www.ripperologist.info
|
Maria Giordano
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mariag
Post Number: 134
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 1:26 pm: | |
Yes, Chris, it does sound like MJK's going to be just the starting point for a discussion of the Abyss.
Mags |
Chris Scott
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chris
Post Number: 1583
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 1:26 pm: | |
Hi Chris
Oddly enough I am working on a publication at the moment entitled "Will the Real Mary Kelly...?"
This is NOT a biography of Kelly, as I am convinced that in the current state of knowledge this is simply not possible. Rather, it goes into as much detail as possible on all the claims made by Barnett and others regarding Kelly's background and examines various possible claimants to be kelly and puts the case for and against.
All the best
Chris
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Christopher T George
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 1165
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 3:16 pm: | |
Hi Chris
Indeed, I do think there is room for such a book as you have described that you are working on, examining all of the stories surrounding Mary Jane Kelly. Good luck with it, Chris. You might want to reference some of the wilder theories such as those expounded by Des McKenna in Ripperologist and Ripper Notes.
All the best
Chris
Christopher T. George
North American Editor
Ripperologist
http://www.ripperologist.info
|
Maria Giordano
Detective Sergeant
Username: Mariag
Post Number: 135
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 5:07 pm: | |
Chris (Scott)-- what a great idea. Are you also going to address the preponderence of Kellys in this case?
Mags |
Thomas C. Wescott
Inspector
Username: Tom_wescott
Post Number: 264
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 03, 2004 - 5:30 pm: | |
Hello all,
Having most of the Ripper Notes and, now, ALL of the Rips, I've had the chance to read Des McKenna's articles, 90% of which are crap. I would recommend avoiding them like the plague! As for this book, it's not exactly a "book-length" manuscript. It's only 90 pages.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Neal Stubbings
Inspector
Username: Neal
Post Number: 183
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, December 04, 2004 - 3:35 pm: | |
Hi Chris,
You're completely right, I've never found anything out about Mary Jane Kelly's life story so I wouldn't consider writing a publication about her. I wouldn't even consider Elizabeth Stride, and have given up all thought of publishing one on Nichols, but compared to Kelly there is a reasonable amount of information on their lives that can be read on this site and in books.
It would be good to read a thoroughly researched book that produces new and accurate details about Mary Jane Kelly's life. But when or if it will ever happen??
All the best
Neal |
Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 3189
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, December 09, 2004 - 9:45 pm: | |
Mary Jane Kelly: La derniere victime
Didier Chauvet
Harmattan, 2002. French.
Softcover, 90pp. Bib.
In this short little book, Didier Chauvet (a librarian from Bordeaux) provides a quick but excellent overview of the generally-known facts surrounding the life of Mary Jane Kelly. Researchers have yet to locate the real Mary Kelly in census and birth records (though several putative Mary's have been found), but Chauvet presents the 'facts' of Kelly's life as given at her inquest and in police testimony.
A quick overview of East End social conditions begins the book, followed by Mary's 'biography' and an extensive look at the general facts surrounding her murder. Then a quick overview of the canonical Ripper murders (or, as Chauvet calls it, "The 71 Days of Terror") ends the book. Interspersed between the chapters are short poetic vignettes about Mary, written by the author.
Why a French book on Mary Kelly? I'm not sure. I'd hoped there would be some snippets of new information, possibly on the time she allegedly spent in France prior to settling in the East End. But alas, that wasn't the case.
There is no new information here, and Francophones would get a much greater overview of all aspects of the case from the writings of Stephane Bourgoine, but there is a certain quaintness and empathetic tone in this little book which makes it worthwhile reading. It is clear from both his prose and his poetry that Chauvet was deeply moved by Mary's story, and his enthusiasm shines through on every page. Again, nothing new, but an enjoyable read all the same.
Stephen P. Ryder, Exec. Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper |
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