In the parish register of Étienne-de-Lugdarès in évaudan, it is written that on June 30, 1764 a little girl, 14 years old, named Jeanne Boulet “was killed by a savage beast”.
Thus begins the enigmatic history of the Beast of Gévaudan recounted in this work which reads like a thriller. A meticulous investigation unveils to us, page after page, the mysterious and troubling events which occured during the reign of Louis XV.
You will learn about all the successive hunts, those led by Étienne Lafont, the count of Moriangès, captain Duhamel, the wolf-hunter Denneval, the royal huntsman Antoine de Beauterne… even the bishop of Mende became involved. All in vain, because the Beast was too crafty.
You will meet Jean and Antoine Chastel, intimately tied to the hunt for the Beast, all while discovering the world of lycanthropy and werewolves.
You will follow the roaming of the Beast throughout this remote and miserable region, it appears everywhere, as if under the influence of a sadist whose wickedness makes one shudder.
Antoine Saba’s erudition about the Beast of Gévaudan justifies him in sharing his own opinion in the last pages of the book, his conviction that he has finally solved the secret which has intrigued us for centuries. But start at the beginning, follow the chronology of these terrible attacks of the Beast, and you won’t rest (day or night) as you read this book.
Year of publication of the presented edition : 2013 (223 pages)
Editor : La Vallée Heureuse
ISBN : 9782366960075
The author :
Andrea Saba devotes a cult passion to the wolf, in these mountains, these green valleys of the Grenoble region, which he has been enhancing since the age of thirteen, when he was only a young shepherd. Born on July 22, 1941, in Grenoble, after technical studies, he became site manager in La Ciotat, then commercial in dietetic products. He will eventually create his own distribution network.
But the beast does not let go! In contact with the poetry of life that he knows how to listen to, the wolf enters his universe with all its mysteries. Andrea Saba then embarked on the phantasmagorical trail of the “beast of Gévaudan” and continued her investigations for many years. Traveling over hills and dales, the most remote regions of Gévaudan, he documents himself, meets on the spot the last enthusiasts of this legend, who leave indelible traces there, and raises one of the great question marks of the History of France.
