Victor Hugo's Conversations with the Spirit World: A Literary Genius's Hidden Life

Description

During Victor Hugo's exile on the Isle of Jersey, where he and his family and friends escaped the reign of Napoleon III, he conducted "table-tapping" seances, transcribing hundreds of channelled conversations with entities from the beyond. Among his discarnate visitors were Shakespeare, Plato, Hannibal, Rousseau, Galileo, Sir Walter Scott and Jesus. According to the transcripts, Jesus, during his three visits, condemns Druidism, faults Christianity and suggests a new religion with Hugo as its prophet. To the sceptic, some of the "conversations" may seem self-serving at best, the subconscious wishes of the naive participants. But author, John Chambers, places Hugo's experiments firmly in the tradition of visionary literature and psychic exploration, aligning those experiences with the poetry of William Blake, the table-tapping experiences of the Fox sisters and the channelled writings of the great modern-day Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, James Merrill, whose spirits' utterances uncannily resemble those of Hugo's. Hugo's transcriptions are the missing link between the early nineteenth century's fascination with the kabbalistic Zohar, reincarnation and the writings of the Illuminati and the rise of spiritualism and the societies for the study of psychic phenomena in the latter nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

John Chambers (1939-2017) had a Master of Arts in English degree from the University of Toronto and spent three years at the University of Paris. He was the author of Victor Hugo's Conversations with the Spirit World, The Secret Life of Genius, and The Metaphysical World of Isaac Newton. He published numerous articles on subjects ranging from ocean shipping to mall sprawl to alien abduction and contributed essays to Forbidden Religion: Suppressed Heresies of the West.

"Truly great and deserves to be in every library, both public and private." * Hans Holzer, Ph.D., parapsychologist and author of Ghosts: True Encounters with the World Beyond and * "Remember that it was after these experiences that Hugo wrote his remarkable Les Miserables." * John F. Miller, III, Ph.D., Journal of Religion and Psychical Research * " . . . for those individuals who have an interest in either the works of Hugo, or the Spiritualism movement, this will become a valued addition to their library. It is eminently readable and very informative." * Michael Gleason, Witchgrove.com, Mar 2008 * "New Age collections will find it an intriguing addition." * The Midwest Book Review, Apr 08 * "This intriguing corner of the great novelist's life is exceptionally well documented . . . a superb contribution to literary history and to the study of the paranormal. I recommend it highly." * Michael Prescott's Blog, Apr 08 * "The late Martin Ebon contributes a fascinating introduction that gives a brisk overview of Hugo's life, and he also discusses the Vietnamese religion of Cao Dai, which holds Hugo to be a major saint." * Tom Ruffles, Forten Times 236, June 2008 * "So what was Victor Hugo, then: ascended master or madman? If it's a sign of their ultimate sanity that visionaries faithfully, coherently, and effectively practice what they preach, without harming others, and indeed often helping others, then Victor Hugo was a sane man." * Dr. Vittoria Frigerio, professor and chair French Dept., Dalhousie University, Dalhousie French Stud * "This is a very well presented biography, focusing on the three years that Hugo spent conversing with the spirit world. There are transcripts included that make this book extremely interesting, and whatever conclusions you draw from the material presented, I assure you that you will be entertained, amused and will find yourself pondering the conversations included in this book. It is a fascinating volume of work, and one which, if you are interested in either the life of Victor Hugo or in the various forms of Spirit Contact that are documented, you will find this an important addition to your library." * Boudica, Zodiac Bistro, September 2008 *