Clare Mulley
Encyclopedia
Clare Mulley is a British
author and philanthropist. She is known for documenting the life of Eglantyne Jebb
, the founder of Save the Children
. In 2007, she was honored by the Daily Mail
Biographers' Club for her book, The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb.
with a Masters degree in Social and Cultural History. Her dissertation was entitled, "Affection or Affectation: The Role and Rhetoric of Maternalism in the Development of Women's Social Action in Victorian Britain".
Today, the author lives in Saffron Walden
, Essex, England, with her three daughters.
, a membership organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigns on issues of global justice
and development in southern countries identified according to the global north-south divide
. She is currently a trustee of the national charity Standing Together against Domestic Violence.
Mulley is a member of The Social History Society, The Voluntary Action History Society, The Women's History Network, The Royal Society of Literature
, The Biographer's Club, The Society of Authors
, English PEN, Walden Writers, The Fawcett Society, and The National Secular Society
.
Mulley is a seasoned public speaker and literary chair, with extensive experience making presentations and lecturing in academic conferences and literary festivals located in Edinburgh
, Oxford
and London
. She continues to serve as a Campaigns Ambassador with Save the Children.
Jebb was an unlikely children's champion; she privately confessed that she was not fond of children, once referring to them as "the little wretches" and laughing that "the dreadful idea of closer acquaintance never entered my mind". She never married or had children of her own. She was a noted humanitarian whose visionary ideas permanently changed the way that the world regards and treats children.
Jebb had soon won huge public support, as well as the backing of celebrities such as George Bernard Shaw who wrote "I have no enemies under the age of seven". Motivated by humanitarian compassion, the belief in the need to invest in the next generation to secure international peace, and her very personal, spiritual, Christian faith, Jebb quickly grew the one-off fund into an international development organisation, supported by the Pope and the miners, the British establishment and the Bolshevik Government, European royalty and the fledgling League of Nations
in Geneva
.
Five years later, Jebb wrote the pioneering statement of children's human rights that has since evolved into the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most universally accepted human-rights instrument in history. "It is not impossible to save the children of the world", she wrote. "It is only impossible if we make it so by our refusal to attempt it."
The biography was published in 2009, to coincide with the 90th anniversary of Save the Children and the 20th anniversary of the UN Convenion on the Rights of the Child. The book has received positive reviews in print and electronic media across the English-language world. The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown endorsed the book, stating it is "A truly brilliant book". Reportedly, the prime minister read the book while away on holiday and was moved to offer the unsolicited review. In 2007, Mulley was honored as the recipient of the Daily Mail
Biographers' Club Prize for The Woman Who Saved the Children. As noted on the copyright page of the book, all of the author's royalties are donated to Save the Children's international programmes.
She is currently working on a biography of Krystyna Skarbek
, also known as Christine Granville. Skarbek was the first woman to work as a secret agent for the British in the Second World War. The book, currently untitled, will be published by Macmillan Publishers
.
Mulley occasionally writes and blogs for various websites, and papers including The Express and The Church Times.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author and philanthropist. She is known for documenting the life of Eglantyne Jebb
Eglantyne Jebb
Eglantyne Jebb was a British social reformer.- Early life :She was born in 1876 in Ellesmere, Shropshire, and grew up on her family's estate. The Jebbs were a well-off family and had a strong social conscience and commitment to public service...
, the founder of Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
. In 2007, she was honored by the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
Biographers' Club for her book, The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb.
Personal background
Mulley was born in 1969 in Luton, England. In 2006, she graduated from the University of LondonUniversity of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
with a Masters degree in Social and Cultural History. Her dissertation was entitled, "Affection or Affectation: The Role and Rhetoric of Maternalism in the Development of Women's Social Action in Victorian Britain".
Today, the author lives in Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
, Essex, England, with her three daughters.
Professional background
Mulley has worked with Save the Children and Sightsavers International, raising charitable donations on behalf of the organisations. She has served as a member of the financial advisory board of the World Development MovementWorld Development Movement
The World Development Movement is a membership organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigns on issues of global justice and development in the Global South....
, a membership organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigns on issues of global justice
Global justice
Global justice is an issue in political philosophy arising from the concern that the world at large is unjust.-Context:The broader philosophical context of the global justice debate, in both its contemporary and historical forms, is the issue of impartiality...
and development in southern countries identified according to the global north-south divide
North-South divide
The north–south divide is a socio-economic and political division that exists between the wealthy developed countries, known collectively as "the north", and the poorer developing countries , or "the south." Although most nations comprising the "North" are in fact located in the Northern Hemisphere ,...
. She is currently a trustee of the national charity Standing Together against Domestic Violence.
Mulley is a member of The Social History Society, The Voluntary Action History Society, The Women's History Network, The Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
, The Biographer's Club, The Society of Authors
Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...
, English PEN, Walden Writers, The Fawcett Society, and The National Secular Society
National Secular Society
The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no-one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of religion. It was founded by Charles Bradlaugh in 1866...
.
Mulley is a seasoned public speaker and literary chair, with extensive experience making presentations and lecturing in academic conferences and literary festivals located in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She continues to serve as a Campaigns Ambassador with Save the Children.
Eglantyne Jebb
In 1999, while working with Save the Children, Mulley was introduced to the life of Victorian-era British social reformer Eglantyne Jebb, and became intrigued with her life and career. When Mulley took a maternity leave of absence, in order to have her first child, she began researching the life of Jebb, compiled her notes, and began writing the biography, The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb.Jebb was an unlikely children's champion; she privately confessed that she was not fond of children, once referring to them as "the little wretches" and laughing that "the dreadful idea of closer acquaintance never entered my mind". She never married or had children of her own. She was a noted humanitarian whose visionary ideas permanently changed the way that the world regards and treats children.
Jebb had soon won huge public support, as well as the backing of celebrities such as George Bernard Shaw who wrote "I have no enemies under the age of seven". Motivated by humanitarian compassion, the belief in the need to invest in the next generation to secure international peace, and her very personal, spiritual, Christian faith, Jebb quickly grew the one-off fund into an international development organisation, supported by the Pope and the miners, the British establishment and the Bolshevik Government, European royalty and the fledgling League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
Five years later, Jebb wrote the pioneering statement of children's human rights that has since evolved into the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most universally accepted human-rights instrument in history. "It is not impossible to save the children of the world", she wrote. "It is only impossible if we make it so by our refusal to attempt it."
The biography was published in 2009, to coincide with the 90th anniversary of Save the Children and the 20th anniversary of the UN Convenion on the Rights of the Child. The book has received positive reviews in print and electronic media across the English-language world. The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown endorsed the book, stating it is "A truly brilliant book". Reportedly, the prime minister read the book while away on holiday and was moved to offer the unsolicited review. In 2007, Mulley was honored as the recipient of the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
Biographers' Club Prize for The Woman Who Saved the Children. As noted on the copyright page of the book, all of the author's royalties are donated to Save the Children's international programmes.
Additional works
In 2010, Mulley contributed to The Arvon Book of Life Writing: Writing Biography, Autobiography and Memoir.She is currently working on a biography of Krystyna Skarbek
Krystyna Skarbek
Krystyna Skarbek, GM, OBE, Croix de guerre was a Polish Special Operations Executive agent. She became celebrated especially for her daring exploits in intelligence and irregular-warfare missions in Nazi-occupied Poland and France....
, also known as Christine Granville. Skarbek was the first woman to work as a secret agent for the British in the Second World War. The book, currently untitled, will be published by Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
.
Mulley occasionally writes and blogs for various websites, and papers including The Express and The Church Times.
Published works
- Mulley, Clare. The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb, Oneworld Publications, 2009. ISBN 978-1851686575
Further reading
- Angier, Carole; and Cline, Sally. The Arvon Book of Life Writing: Writing Biography, Autobiography and Memoir, Methuen Drama, 2010. ISBN 978-1408124185