Isabela Pereira
Dias Esperança:
“Humberto de
Campos, the
writer whose aim
is to write
constructively”
The teacher and
researcher talks
about the work
dictated from
the Spirit World
by the Brazilian
author, who
passed away 80
years ago
 |
Isabela Pereira
Dias Esperança
(photo),
Portuguese and
Spanish Language
and Literature
teacher in the
Brazilian state
of Rio de
Janeiro, is a
passionate
researcher of
the work
dictated from
the Spirit World
by Humberto
Campos, who also
signed as Irmão
X (Brother X).
She also works
as a volunteer
at the Filhos da
Luz Spiritist
Centre in her
home-
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|
town of Barra Mansa. In
this interview,
which will be
published in two
parts over the
next two weeks,
she talks about
the 80th
anniversary, in
December 2014,
of the passing
of Humberto de
Campos: |
Firstly, tells
us briefly who
was Humberto de
Campos.
He was born
Humberto de
Campos Vera on
October 25th
1886 in the town
of Miritiba, in
the
north-eastern
state of
Maranhão. He was
born in a poor
family and
received very
basic education.
He was six when
his father died.
He then began to
work in harsh
jobs in the
area. But he had
an inquisitive
and persevering
spirit and began
to study by
himself. A bit
later in life,
he found a job
in the prints
and went to the
local library in
his spare time
to read and
learn. He began
his career as a
journalist and
eventually
became a
renowned author
and member of
the Brazilian
Literary
Academy. He got
ill, had
financial
troubles but
carried on
working and
passed away on
December 5th
1934.
How many books
did he publish
in life and
after going to
the Spirit
World?
Humberto de
Campos was a
very popular
writer in his
time, having
published
poetry,
children’s
literature,
literary
criticism,
biographies and
having organised
anthologies. He
publishe more
than 40 books,
in two phases.
In the last five
years of his
life, he was
diagnosed with
hypertrophy or
the hypophysis,
which caused him
great pain. He
began to lose
his eyesight and
went into deep
financial
troubles. He
enters a new
phase in his
work, more
autobiographic,
sharing his pain
and become a
character in his
books. His
popular grew as
readers could
empathise with
him. We realise
now that he was
certainly being
prepared for the
work that would
follow alongside
Chico Xavier.
From the Spirit
World, he wrote:
“I am like a
builder who
spent many years
carrying the
material to
begin building a
home for his old
age only to have
his arms cut off
when he is about
to lay the first
brick”. In March
1935 the great
Brazilian
medium, Chico
Xavier, wrote a
letter to Manuel
Quinhão, who was
editor at the
Brazilian
Spiritist
Federation,
saying he had
dreamt with
Humberto Campos.
He had been
introduced to
him in the
Spirit World.
That became the
message “De um
casarão de outro
mundo” (“From a
big house in the
other world”),
published on
March 27th
1935, three
months after he
passed away.
Those stories
were published
on Reformador
magazine and
were the first
step towards the
publication of
many books
through the
mediumship of
Chico Xavier.
After his
families began
legal action to
demand copyright
of the work, he
began to sign as
Irmão X, or
Brother X. Seven
other books were
published then.
He would return
many years
later,
publishing two
other books in
1988 and 1989,
all through the
mediumship of
Chico Xavier.
What is the most
interesting
aspect of the
work dictated by
him from the
Spirit World?
And why?
“My current
problem is not
writing to
please, but
writing
constructively,”
Humberto Campos
wrote on the
preface of
Boa Nova (Good
News).
Before passing
away, he used to
write many
letters from
readers who
shared their
stories with
him. Many of
those stories
became the
object of
articles he
wrote. But they
lacked the
perennial
quality of many
of his work in
other genres.
Writing from the
Spirit World,
Humberto
Campos’s
articles on
day-to-day
events and
observations
have a different
nature. They are
descriptions and
tales of the
eternal life.
His views and
comments go much
beyond the
observation of
daily events. He
helps reflect on
our journey in
the light of the
teachings of
Jesus, in
accordance with
the principles
of Spiritism.
What are your
favourite books
written by
Humberto de
Campos from the
Spirit World?
The short
stories of
Boa Nova
show that Jesus
is back as part
of an effort of
the Spirit World
to rescue the
Gospel. The
stories in that
book are based
on the
experiences of
conversion of
personalities
who met Christ.
That was the
case of Mary of
Magdala, Joanna
of Cusa and
Zaccheus.
Is there any
story in that
book that had a
bigger impact on
you?
The short story
“A Negação de
Pedro” (“Peter’s
Denial”) says
that Jesus
noticed that
Peter, while he
prepared to wash
the feet of the
other disciples,
was too proud
and refused to
accept the
lesson of the
Master. Jesus
explains to him
that the
disciple should
never try to be
better than his
brothers and
sisters and said
that he was not
as yet ready to
follow him. He
added that Peter
would deny him
three times but
explained: “No,
Peter, I do not
think you are
ungrateful or
indifferent to
my teachings.
But you will
learn, still
today, that the
man of the world
is weak rather
than evil”. In
many of his
short stories,
such as “Nas
Hesitações de
Pedro” (“In the
Hesitations of
Peter”) we see
the struggles of
the weak spirit
on a pathway
that requires
sacrifice and
abnegation.
Those are our
own hesitations.
Peter, aged 80,
is finally taken
to the cross to
offer his
sacrifice. He is
followed by a
madding crowd
and by people
who throw stones
at him. He
passes away and
is then received
by Jesus. Peter
then hears a
voice from the
Earth. It is his
executioner
whose son is
ill. He begs
Peter to forgive
him. Peter, the
apostle, having
learned and
matured with the
experiences of
his life, is
taken by the
ideal of
fraternity and,
without
hesitating,
rushes to help
his brothers and
sisters.
(The final part
of this
interview will
be published
next week.)
