Mary Fortune
Encyclopedia
Mary Helena Fortune was an Australian writer, under the pseudonyms Waif Wander and W.W. She was one of the earliest female detective writers in the world. One of the earliest women to write detective fiction
, and probably the first to write from the viewpoint of the detective.
. In Melbourne, Canada, she married Joseph Fortune on 25 March 1851 and had one son. When her father left Canada for the Australian goldfields, she followed him, leaving her husband behind and travelling to
to Australia with her son. She arrived in Melbourne, Victoria, on 3 October 1855.
In November 1856, she gave birth to a second son. In January 1858 her elder son died. On 25 October 1858, Mary married Percy Rollo Brett (possibly bigamously) at Dunolly, Victoria
.
A prolific storyteller, in all she wrote over 500 detective stories over 40 years, most featuring Detective Mark Sinclair.
During her lifetime, she was popular enough to have a racehorse and greyhound named after her.
She died an alcoholic, the date and place still unknown - somehow fitting for this pioneering woman of mystery. Her death passed without public notice, in part because she wrote under pseudonyms.
Her horror fiction
story "The White Maniac: A Doctor's Tale" (included in James Doig's anthology Australian Ghost Stories (2010)) verges on being a tale of vampirism, but its theme is in fact anthrophagy.
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, and probably the first to write from the viewpoint of the detective.
Personal life
Mary Fortune was born around 1833 in Belfast, Ireland. She traveled with her father to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In Melbourne, Canada, she married Joseph Fortune on 25 March 1851 and had one son. When her father left Canada for the Australian goldfields, she followed him, leaving her husband behind and travelling to
to Australia with her son. She arrived in Melbourne, Victoria, on 3 October 1855.
In November 1856, she gave birth to a second son. In January 1858 her elder son died. On 25 October 1858, Mary married Percy Rollo Brett (possibly bigamously) at Dunolly, Victoria
Dunolly, Victoria
Dunolly is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Dunolly - Maryborough Road, in the Shire of Central Goldfields. At the 2006 census, Dunolly had a population of 969....
.
A prolific storyteller, in all she wrote over 500 detective stories over 40 years, most featuring Detective Mark Sinclair.
During her lifetime, she was popular enough to have a racehorse and greyhound named after her.
She died an alcoholic, the date and place still unknown - somehow fitting for this pioneering woman of mystery. Her death passed without public notice, in part because she wrote under pseudonyms.
Her horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
story "The White Maniac: A Doctor's Tale" (included in James Doig's anthology Australian Ghost Stories (2010)) verges on being a tale of vampirism, but its theme is in fact anthrophagy.
The Detective's Album
She is best known for The Detective's Album, the longest-running early detective serial anywhere in the world. Narrated by detective Mark Sinclair, The Detective's Album was serialized for forty years in the Australian Journal from 1868 to 1908. In 1871, seven of the stories were published as a book, as The Detective's Album: Tales of the Australian Police.Examples of her work
- Wongaworra, Alexandra Times, 23 December 1876.
- Christmas Eve, Long Ago, At Braidwood, Portland Guardian, 25 December 1879.
- Monk's Mark, Burra Record, 28 April 1882.
- Ike's Sin: A Story of the Sea, Queanbeyan Age, 26 December 1884.
- The Detective's Dream, Portland Guardian, 24 December 1886.
- Three Jacks, Camperdown Chronicle, 3 November 1903.
- Noel or Love and War: Part 1 and Part 2, Camperdown Chronicle, 2 February 1904 and 9 February 1904.
- The Lillies of Forgiveness, Camperdown Chronicle, 26 April 1904.
- Coo-ee!, The Mail, 8 April 1916 (poem quoted in its entirety in a letter to the editor).
- Reprint of The Detectives Album edited by Lucy SussexLucy SussexLucy Sussex is a fantasy and science fiction author, editor, academic and teacher currently residing in Melbourne, Australia.She is often associated with feminist science fiction.-Personal life:...
http://www.batteredbox.com/VicEdDetctive/DetectiveAlbum.htm - "The White Maniac: A Doctor's Tale" http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0602781.txt
Online resources
- Fortune, Mary, person ID 538006 on Trove at the Australian National Library.
- Lucy SussexLucy SussexLucy Sussex is a fantasy and science fiction author, editor, academic and teacher currently residing in Melbourne, Australia.She is often associated with feminist science fiction.-Personal life:...
: "A Woman of Mystery: Mary Fortune" http://lsussex.customer.netspace.net.au/womanofmystery.htm