Charles Strong Hoy

Charles Strong Hoy ( C.H.F. ) or more simply Charles Fort , was born with Albany, the USA the August 9th 1874 and died in New York the May 3rd 1932. American writer with the style which would be today described as fantastic Réalisme, of which it was the precursor, if not the model. He is the founding father of the Mouvement fortéen (the neologism fortéen was forged on the basis of name of Charles H. Fort) which, if he is ignored in the French-speaking world, is relatively important in the Anglo-Saxon world. The magazine Fortean Times is the most important publication of this movement.

“a procession of damnés.

By damnés I hear well exclude them.

We will hold a procession of all the data which Science judged good to exclude . ”

(The first Three sentences of the Book of damnés the , Charles Fort)

Its work attempted to count and document not explained or extraordinary phenomena (rains of frogs, appearances of crocodiles on the English coasts, falls slow of archaeological meteorites extra-light, vestiges Lilliputians, observations of not-identified flying machines, etc) and to propose often eccentric or at the very least original assumptions in explanation.

It is the first “serious” researcher on the paranormaux phenomena, the UFOs, etc But it makes conspicuous its descendants, by its corrosive tone, humorous, provocant and, paradoxically skeptic. For him, one can nothing prove on anything. Robert Benayoum defined his method rather well: “knowledge by the absurdity”.

" Perhaps , meditated it, I am the pioneer of a literature to come whose traitors and heroes will be tidal waves and stars, beetles and earthquakes . " C.H. Extremely (translation of Robert Benayoun, 1955)

Biography

Untiring worker, true bookworm, it counts in all the scientific newspapers, periodicals and publications what it calls the “damnées” data, i.e. strange facts drawn aside by official science. He thus constitutes a true encyclopedia of extraordinary phenomena which he undertakes to classify according to his own terminology. Friend of the American great writer Theodore Dreiser, it is the latter which enables him to publish its first book, the Book of Damnés in 1919. The book causes a controversy as of its exit. Some critical see in the theories advanced by Charles Fort the substrate of sciences to come, while others underline the character incoherent and dishevelled its assertions. A critic will present the book like “a monstrosity of the literature”.

The assumptions of Charles Fort appear at the same time completely eccentric and relevant. He has fun for example to do what he calls of the " Super-geography " , imagining a " Supermer of the Sargassos " from which would fall, since space, of the fish (explanation suggested for the rains of animals). He also thinks that the Earth was, in the past, regularly visited by the extraterrestrial ones and that we are for them " cattle ". " One fishes us " , he writes.

Its book draws the attention of writers of science fiction such Edmond Hamilton and Jack Williamson which will become its correspondents.

In 1934, its third book, Lo! appears in serials in the greatest review of science fiction of the time, Astounding Stories. This contributes to install still more Charles Fort in the circle of the science fiction. It is in this book that the author invents the word “Téléportation”, which will make date. Charles Fort suggested there that it was perhaps about a distance capacity forgotten which can sometimes, surreptitiously, to remake surface, which could explain why men awoke naked in the street, this capacity having the disadvantage of not including clothing…

The heritage Charles Fort

In 1939, Eric Frank Russell publishes in the review Unknown its novel Sinister Barrier ( Guerre with Invisible the ), completely based on the theories of Charles Fort.

Its writings would have had a notable influence on Lovecraft, which quotes it in two of its news ( the descendant and That which murmured in darkness ). Besides certain passages of the Livre of damnés the point out the prose of the author about the Large Old ones. Mélanicus de Charles Fort is not without evoking Cthulhu de Lovecraft.

the book of damnés the is published in French for the first time in 1955 with the editions of Two Banks, whereas Louis Pauwels is director literary of the collection there “prohibited Light” and that Jacques Bergier ensures the foreword of the work. Unfortunately, it passes quasi unperceived. The exit in 1960 of the best-seller the Morning of the Magicians , an introduction of 500 pages to the fantastic Réalisme of Pauwels and Bergier, where the authors introduce Charles Fort like one their models, offers to him an renewed interest, reinforced by the publication of broad extracts of work in the review with great pulling Planet (numbers 29 and 30 of the summer 1966), which will allow one second edition in 1967 by Eric Losfeld.

But the author remains still largely ignored in France, and alone its second book Lo! will be also translated, 15 years later at Belfond in 1981. Currently, all the French editions of Charles Fort are exhausted. A new translation of the Livre of damnés the however has just appeared in 2006… (see)

In the world of science, Charles Fort occupies a position comparable with that of the dadaïstes in that of Article One spoke on their subject " the antione; , one introduced Charles Fort like “the enemy of science”. He indeed shares with them the taste of the provocation, of derision, a total freedom of creation. Charles Fort should not be confused besides with the esotericism or the occultism. “I do not believe anything of what I write” . For him, the belief does not have its place in science, only “temporal acceptance” is possible (specify in the passing that the translation of Robert Benayoum leaves something to be desired, since it often makes say to the author “I believe that… ”, where it took on the contrary care to write " I Think … " , " my own acceptance… " , but never " I believe… "). In the same way that the dadaïstes in the final analysis brought much to art, Charles Fort seems to be the precursor of a science moving, lends to call itself into question constantly, knowing well at which point any knowledge is relative. It is quoted in the book the Enigma Vermeer of Blue Balliet.

In the introduction of the Book of damnés the , Charles describes itself like a " intermédiariste". " We live an quasi-existence " he writes, in " an intermediate state enters reality and the irréel."

Wink

In the remake of the Village of damnés the , of John Carpenter, a character evokes Charles Fort and the Book of damnés the , one also sees with the screen a specimen of Wild talents .

In the comics From Hell , of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, one finds a quotation of Charles Fort, of which the method of accumulations of facts could influence Alan Moore, which uses besides in its book one of the mysterious rains of blood announced by Charles Fort.

Works

Only two of its works were the subject of a translation in French:

the book of damnés, Horned Joey Editor, 2006. *

References

Charles Fort, the Book of Damnés , translated from English by Robert Benayoun, introduction by Jacques Bergier, NéO Editions, Paris, 1989, ISBN 2-7304-0527-5, (exhausted)

See too

fantastic Realism
Lovecraft
(in English)
(in English)

Works on line

Editions hypertexts of the works of Strong C.H. (in English):

'' Book off the Damned ''
'' New Lands ''
'' Lo! ''
'' Wild Talents ''
'' Many Shares ''
'' The Outcast Manufacturers ''

External bonds

''' Five video files on Charles Fort '''
Emission " Special Charles Fort" , series " Bad Genres" on France-Culture, of January 18th, 2003
Site of the magazine Fortean Times
http://www.rr0.org/personne/f/FortCharlesHoy a biography
http://www.forteans.com/
http://www.sceptiques.qc.ca/SD/fortean.html
http://www.resologist.net/introf2.htm
http://www.joeycornu.com/livres_a_decouvrir.html#Damnes
Site of the eye of the Sphinx, editor of " The Fortéenne" Gazette;

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