Whenever I go to London I try to buy as many books i can on the Kray Twins. Some like to buy little Big Ben statues, but no, I buy Kray books. And at one time, there were at least a 100 or so books on the Krays. Books by the vicitims, the people who worked with the Krays, and even the bartender who served drinks to one of the victims of the Krays just before he got shot in the head. She wrote a book as well. In fact I suspect off subjects due to true crime catagory, there are more books on the Kray Twins. Why?
Well they're fascinating in many interesting ways. Both are identical twins, one was gay the other straight, and they basically ruled the London crime world during hte 60's. Also they were psychotic and extremely dangerous pair of men. I wouldn't want to cross their path and make them unhappy.
The Krays also wrote a series of memoirs while they were in prison. Francis Bacon has mentioned that he received a landscape painting by one of the twins via the mail. He commented that it's interesting that it was a landscape painting, considering that they didn't have a view of such land in their cell. Although their cells did have carpeting, and maybe even a wet bar as well. The Krays lived in high fashion all the time.
This is one of many of Reggie Kray's book. i am not sure about it's history, but it is still fascinating to see how these guys work and what they think about. There is a certain amount of glamour in their lives, but you have to keep in mind the sickening violence that went with it as well.
One day I like to do a critical essay on the books that were produced in the Kray's world. I think it would be fascinating to compare and chose ... and just basically think how the mass media has covered the Kray twins.
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4 comments:
They really are fascinating. My brothers are identical twins; they claimed that moment from the film where the boys say "crocodile" as their own!...
Kray connection seen recently (it was unearthed by my father, who became curious after reading of Boothby in the new biography of Harold Macmillan):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Boothby,_Baron_Boothby
"The Profession of Violence" by John Pearson is quite an entertaining read. Couple that with David Bailey's black and white image of the twins and you get a glint of their deadly charisma. East London was a melting pot that produced some interesting characters: the Krays and Harold Pinter.
John Pearson's "The Profession of Violence" (and its follow up, the title of which I've forgotten and which I have not read) is the go-to book on The Brothers Kray. I would gladly be pointed in the direction of some other tome you deem worthy of the subject. Mad Frankie Fraser's autobiography is entertaining in its own way and touches on the Krays (although Fraser was, in the main, in the employ of South London's The Richardsons). David Bailey's black and white portrait of the twins captures some of their violent charisma -or am I reading too much into it? East London was a melting pot that produced some interesting figures -The Krays but also Harold Pinter.
To my knowledge John Pearson's "The Profession of Violence" is the go-to book on The Brothers Kray. I would gladly be pointed in the direction of some other tome that you deem worthy of the subject. Mad Frankie Fraser's autobiography is entertaining in its own way and touches on the Krays (although Fraser was, in the main, in the employ of South London's The Richardsons). David Bailey's black and white portrait of the twins captures some of their violent charisma -or am I reading too much into it? East London was a melting pot that produced some interesting figures -The Krays but also Harold Pinter.
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