The 19th-century writer Louis Jacolliot, the author of numerous adventure novels, received special recognition in Russia. At home, his works are little known, but in Russian society at the turn of the 19-20th centuries, huge masses of inhabitants were read by the books of this traveler. And today, Jacquolio is read and even reprinted in Russia, and in France only literary scholars remember him.
Life path
Louis Jacolliot was born in the small French town of Charolles on October 31, 1837. Almost no information was left about his life. At first Louis worked as a lawyer, then for many years he was a colonial judge. Jacquolio's whole life consisted of traveling. He did not live a very long, but very interesting and eventful life. Jacolliot died on October 30, 1890 in France, he was only 52 years old.
Travels
Thanks to his work in the colonies of Louis Jacolliot traveled a lot. He spent several years in Oceania, on the island of Tahiti. A long period of his life was associated with the Indian colonies. During the trips, Jacoliot not only worked in courtrooms, but also studied the culture of exotic countries. He collected a large amount of ethnographic material, local folklore, and Aboriginal art. The countries of America and India at that time seemed to Europeans countries full of miracles. And Louis Jacquliot tried to get to know these peculiar cultures better in order to tell compatriots about them. During his travels, the judge kept travel diaries, which became his biggest acquisition on trips.
Creative way
Upon his return to France, Louis Jacquolio began to write articles about the life, language, history and culture of the countries that he saw during his business trips. But these works did not have scientific value, then Louis decided to start writing popular science works. He really wanted his compatriots to recognize and love the countries of America and Indochina. From his pen came more than 50 novels, short stories and a large number of stories. Jacolliot actively printed his works and for a moment even gained popularity among the French public. But the French reader was spoiled by a large number of literary works that appear annually, and Louis Jacquolio's fame gradually faded away. After his death, he was hardly read or reprinted. But his true literary fate awaited him in an equally exotic country - in Russia.
Jacolliot and Russia
In Russia at the end of the 19th century, books in French were the most popular reading. Unlike France, Russia was very attentive and supportive of the work of Jacoliot. Here he found his grateful reader. His books were not only read in the original, but also translated into Russian. So, in 1910, an 18-volume collected works of a French writer was published in St. Petersburg, a similar event did not happen even in the authorâs homeland. Jacolliot was perceived in Russia as a representative of progressive science; Elena Petrovna Blavatsky very much loved and often quoted his books in Isis Unmasked.
In Soviet times, the books of Jacolliot were recognized as unscientific and ideologically harmful and were banned. It was only in the late 90s of the 20th century that Louis Jacolliot again returned to the Russian reader. Surprisingly, the 21st century reader finds his charm in a bit naive adventure novels about exotic countries.
Creative heritage
In the creative heritage of Jacolliot, two large groups of works stand out. The first is an adventure prose about historical and fictional events in exotic countries, about pirates, conquerors, discoverers (âRobbers of the Seaâ, âLost in the Oceanâ, âSlave Huntersâ, âJourney to the Land of Elephantsâ, âPirate Chestâ, "Fakir-charm", "Journey to the Land of La Bayadere"). The second - works that tell of different stories in strange countries with large popular science inserts, which are often not connected in any way with the main storyline of the text (âWild Animalsâ, âBlack Tree Coastâ, âSea Pestsâ, âIvory Coastâ , âCeylon and Senegalâ, âSand Cityâ, âMonkeys, Parrots and Elephantsâ).
But nevertheless, most of all, Jacolliot tried to create ethnographic works, he wanted to talk about what he saw on long journeys to his compatriots.
In the book The Indian Bible, or The Life of Jesus Krishna, he presents the results of his comparative study of the scriptures and the biography of Krishna in Sanskrit and concludes that the Bible largely repeats the events of an older Indian text. This allows Jacolliot to conclude that the ancient Christian texts are based on the mythology of ancient India. Even the name of Krishna in Sanskrit sounds very similar to the pronunciation of the word âJesusâ and means âPure Essenceâ, which also indicates the general characterization of the two divine beings.
Studying the myths and legends of the natives of America and India, Jacolliot first finds references to the land of Rumas, which drowned in the waters of the Indian Ocean. According to Louis, this is nothing more than a story about the land known in Europe under the name Atlantis. This legend also found its confirmation in the legends about the land of Mu or Pacifid, which also went under water, but in the Pacific Ocean.
In his book Sons of God, the myth of the famous Agartha was first mentioned. Jacolliot made rather subtle observations about the numerous plot intersections in mythologies of residents of different countries and continents, which confirms the hypothesis that all people once lived on the same continent. His books in French were published in small print runs, some of which were popular during the author's lifetime. But many works have remained unnoticed and unappreciated.
The novel "Lost in the Ocean"
The ability to compose an overwhelming plot and complement it with interesting travel observations was perfectly combined in the adventure novels of Jacolliot. So, the work âLost in the Oceanâ is a unique mixture of historical, adventure novels and a fascinating detective story. Events take place off the coast of New Caledonia, the plot is built around the abduction of the sacred scepter of the Chinese emperor.
Indian impressions
The novel âIn the Slums of Indiaâ tells about the famous âRise of the Sepoysâ and the participation of the French aristocrat Frederick de Montmoren in these formidable events. The novel is full of intrigue, conspiracy and vivid events, as well as descriptions of Indian landscapes and cultural monuments. The Russian edition of the novel âIn the Slums of Indiaâ is decorated with exquisite illustrations by the French graphic artist Henri Castelli; it has survived 11 reprints in Russian.
"The robbers of the seas"
The Jacquolio trilogy âSea Robbersâ is the authorâs most famous work. The action of the novel tells the story of the fate of a young pirate Beelzebub. The writer picturesquely talks about adventures in the North Sea and expeditions to the North Pole. The novel is dedicated to describing the life of a noble hero who was defeated by his worst enemy. "The robbers of the seas" are distinguished from many Jacquolio novels by the absence of a love line and a sad end, which was uncharacteristic of a romantic French writer.
Travel Australia
Impressions of a visit to Australia became the basis for the adventure novel Jacquolio "Fire Eaters." The romantic love story of the French diplomat Lorague and the Russian Princess Vasilchikova takes place against the backdrop of dangerous adventures in the wilds of Australia. The novel has many excellent descriptions of the flora and fauna of Australia, subtle observations of the life of Aboriginal people. The Russian edition came out with beautiful illustrations by the French artist A. Peri.