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

by John Chambers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“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 Life Beyond: Compelling Evidence for Past Lives and Existence after Death )

“Remember that it was after these experiences that Hugo wrote his remarkable Les Misérables.”
(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 )

" . . . this is a fascinating story, and it is told in an engaging way." (
Tom Ruffles, Nthposition, 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 )

Product Description
First English translation of Victor Hugo’s writings on his experiments in spiritualism

• Reveals Hugo’s conversations with renowned discarnate entities such as Shakespeare, Plato, Galileo, and Jesus

• Examines his contacts with aliens from the planets Mercury and Jupiter and the revelation that our entire universe is a quantum hologram

• Discusses Hugo’s possible role as a grand master of the Priory of Sion

During Victor Hugo’s exile on the Isle of Jersey, where he and his family and friends escaped the reign of Napoléon III, he conducted “table-tapping” séances, transcribing hundreds of channeled 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 skeptic, some of the “conversations” may seem self-serving--at best, the subconscious wishes of the naïve 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 channeled 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.



See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Destiny Books; 2 Expanded edition (January 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594771820
• ISBN-13: 978-1594771828
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #676,242 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New age collections will find it an intriguing addition., April 3, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

John Chambers' VICTOR HUGO'S CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SPIRIT WORLD: A LITERARY GENIUS'S HIDDEN LIFE is for collections strong in either New Age spirituality or parapsychology. It focuses on Victor Hugo's exile on the island of Jersey, where he and his friends escaped the reign of Napoleon III and where he transcribed hundreds of channeled conversations with various incarnate energies from beyond. New age collections will find it an intriguing addition.

5.0 out of 5 stars Facinating read...........chilling.....and true......, May 19, 2009

By	Nathan Christian (New Stanton, PA USA) - See all my reviews

It doesn't dwell on loong boring descriptions of the period and scenery like most books would. In fact, gives enough detail of the period to paint the picture, then cuts to the meat of the subject matter. Some of the passages got pretty deep, and honestly, some I did not fully understand like the phlisopy and so forth of death and reincarnation. These passages only went for a few pages so it was ok. This book also includes some of the actual drawings made by the tables.

Compelling and mezmerizing.........and at times frightening...there is a section about howling dogs wich just gave me goose bumps.

5.0 out of 5 stars Other Pursuits of Victor Hugo, September 15, 2008

By	Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This book is fascinating, really. The depth of the material here covers three years in great detail, as well as giving you a very in depth look at the time covered, the man and the material presented.

You may know Victor Hugo from school, as his poetry and literary works are very well known and considered classics. Amongst his most recognizable are "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1831) and "Les Miserables" (1862).

The book contains background to the period of history in France that Hugo lived in. The author John Chambers provides some very good material to give you the basis from which the three years Hugo spent working with the spirit world meaning. Hugo was in exile from France (during the reign of Napoleon III) on the Isle of Jersey from 1852. In 1953 he was introduced to a phenomenon that was sweeping France at that time - turning tables or tapping tables. A very long and drawn out process, the turning table taps out letter of the alphabet which turns into words to answer questions asked of spirits from the other side. This book is mainly about those three years that Hugo spent recording his conversations with some of the most prominent dead people of the centuries, as well as some mysterious souls who shared conversation with him. Hugo was very careful to record all the séances he performed, which because of the method used, could take hours.

Hugo's life is also inspected here. Chambers discusses his political views, his personal opinions and the consequences of some of his actions. Hugo was all about politics and it is very much reflected in his personal works as well as his discussions with the spirit world. The life of Hugo is not without its tragedies, and the book also looks at all of Hugo's influences, as well as his ego, his sense of humor and his family, who were instrumental in his work.

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