Any other thoughts about 'Mother Maturin' which might be of interest to Mr
Hannell, of Granada Television, who is trying to discover the fate of the
manuscript ?

All good wishes, John R


----- Original Message -----
From: John Radcliffe <[log in to unmask]>
To: Hannell, Mark <[log in to unmask]>
Cc: Richards, David A. <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2000 1:06 PM
Subject: Re: Granada Television


> Dear Mark
>
> Thanks for your note.
>
> I don't think I would really claim to be an authority on the subject of
> 'Mother Maturin', but as the Electronic Editor of the Kipling Society I am
> in an eligible central position to put you in touch with members who are
> better-informed than I, and I'll be glad to give you any help I can. (As
an
> ex-Beeb producer I am also well disposed towards people who are trying to
> put programmes together.
>
> I will circulate your note to our Kipling Mailbase, which includes a
number
> of our more active and well-informed members, and this may well yield
> something. But meanwhile here are a few pointers;
>
> 1.  There are only two references in the Kipling Journal to 'Mother
> Maturin'.  One (June 1971 page 4) refers to an article in the Sunday
> Statesman (Calcutta) of 17 Jan 1971 by Mr Hamid Bey, called 'A Book
Kipling
> did not dare to finish' which is described in the Journal as 'an excellent
> and well-documented study of the unfinished novel Mother Maturin which
> Kipling is presumed to have destroyed in the nineteen-twenties (after
using
> some of it for the synopsis of a silent film..) The general thesis of the
> article is that the book was the result of Kipling's explorations into the
> darker corners of native and Eurasian life, and that on account of its
> 'impropriety' he did not finish it - and was indeed shipped off to England
> by his parents in 1889 'to save him from native riff-raff and Anglo-Indian
> loafers, from in either case "going fantee among natives" .  I am not sure
> what authority Hamid Bey had for this last statement.  But if the article
> really is 'well-documented' it should be worth trying to track it down.
>
> 2.  The second KJ reference September 1995) was to a request from Nadia
> Haggar and Catherine Harris (BBC Music and Arts) for information about
> Mother M for possible use in a documentary they were making about RK.
There
> are no further references in later issues of the KJ, and I don't know
> whether anyone came up with anything. If you haven't done so already it
> might be worth talking to them or laying hands on that BBC documentary.
>
> 3.  There are a number of references to Mother M in the standard
biographies
> of RK.
>
> Carrington (chapter 14) says that "the manuscript (over 200 pages)
remained
> for years in the safe at A P Watt's office until in 1899 Rudyard brought
it
> down to Rottingdean to ransack it for notions which he could work into
Kim.
> Thereafter", says Carrington, "Mother Maturin vanished, probably destroyed
> by the author, though many years later Kipling prepared a draft for a film
> scenario which contained episodes from the old story".   If you want to
> check with A P Watt's records you should talk to Linda Shaughnessy, who
> looks after the Kipling copyrights. Her email is [log in to unmask]
>
> 4.  Andrew Lycett, in his recent biography (1999), has a number of
> references to MM, and gives an account of its subject matter (page 103)
He
> says that 'Eventually ... Rudyard bowed to various pressures to abandon
the
> book'. It would be well worth your talking to Andrew, whose email address
is
> [log in to unmask]
>
> 5. Harry Ricketts in his biography (1999) refers to Carrie 'having either
> destroyed the unfinished draft manuscript or placed it under some
> super-embargo in the British Museum"  I don't know what Ricketts'
authority
> is for this last speculation, and it might be worth asking him. He is in
New
> Zealand, but you should be able to get an email address from his
publishers,
> Chatto and Windus.
>
> 6. Angus Wilson's biography (1977) (page 63) also gives some more
> information about the content of the draft of MM, and refers to the
> projected film as ' The Gate of a Hundred Sorrows'. Thurston Hopkins
(1930)
> says that 'in 1886 Kipling had 350 foolscap pages of it manuscript in "a
> bruised tin box" but what became of it is a mystery.' Philip Mason's
> biography simply refers to MM as having perished.
>
> 7. None of these biographers, early or recent, has suggested the
likelihood
> that the manuscript still exists, and if it had remained at Bateman's
after
> RK's death in 1937 I would be very surprised if Mrs Kipling did not
consign
> it to the flames along with the many other documents she destroyed at that
> time. So unless A P Watt or the BM can turn something up, the trail may
well
> hit a dead end !
>
> 8. One other suggestion: it may well be worth talking to Professor Tom
> Pinney, the editor of the Kipling letters, in the States
> ([log in to unmask])
>
> I hope these leads are helpful. If any of my colleagues come up with
> anything, I will gladly pass it on.
>
> All good wishes, John Radcliffe
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Hannell, Mark <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, May 22, 2000 12:22 PM
> Subject: Granada Television
>
>
> > Dear Mr Radcliffe
> >
> > I wonder if you may be able to help me? I am a researcher for Granada
> > Television and I was passed your name by your friend, Mr Dave Richards
in
> > New York, who suggested I contact you about a story, or quest, which I
am
> > keen to pursue. Namely, Rudyard Kipling's missing manuscript for his
first
> > novel, 'Mother Maturin'.
> >
> > To explain, I am currently researching for a programme called Find A
> Fortune
> > which is a factual entertainment show due to b shown on the ITV network
in
> > June and July this year. A feature of the show is mysteries that the
> British
> > Public might be able to help solve or provide information about. At the
> very
> > least we are very keen to present stories that might hold some national
> > pride and it is for this reason that we would love to know more about
the
> > mystery that surrounded this piece of work from one of our most
celebrated
> > British writers.
> >
> > Many thanks for your time and attention and I hope to speak with you
very
> > soon.
> >
> > I look forward to hearing from you.
> >
> > Yours sincerely
> >
> > Mark Hannell
> > Researcher
> > Find A Forutne
> > Tel: 0207 578 2363
> > Fax: 0207 578 2354
> > Email: [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > **********************************************************************
> >
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> > solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are
> > addressed.  If you have received this email in error, please notify
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
> > Why not visit http://www.g-wizz.net - the site for square eyes
> > **********************************************************************
>



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