Demon

In Demon, Jonathan explores the topic of Jack the Ripper, the brutal serial killer from the foggy and pestilential backstreets of London, who savagely slaughtered and mutilated a string of prostitutes in the late Victorian era, and who later vanished, having never been identified by the police. The book begins with a survey of the different theories as to the killer’s identity—from royals to Freemasons—and ends with a free-flowing discussion on the relationship between art and crime—a subject matter which, as an outsider artist, and as one with an interest in all that is primal, nihilistic, and dark in the soul of man, was of enduring fascination for this unique author. Demon is not an essay in any conventional sense. The present edition incorporates the author’s hand-written corrections to the text.

The cover artwork is by Alex Kurtagic and depicts Jonathan in the role of Jack the Ripper. As those who knew him will remember, Jonathan enjoyed being perceived as a demonic figure and chose to play villains in his films.