The book is one of the most ancient ways of transmitting information ever invented by mankind. People have always wanted to know and understand their essence, to study the reality around them, to unravel the secrets of the universe and to pass on the knowledge gained to subsequent generations. Inventing more and more convenient and perfect ways of storing information, people left rock art and clay tablets, parchment scrolls came to replace them, and then, finally, books appeared in the form in which everyone was used to seeing them.
Turning the pages, a person got the opportunity to gain unique knowledge, learn the history of past centuries, travel the world without leaving home. You can plunge into the world of other people's fantasies and dreams, together with the author of the book, reflect on the laws of the world order and your place in this world, be sad or happy with the character, love him or hate him fiercely.
The invention of this source of knowledge made humanity deeper and smarter, gave an impetus to civilization, forcing it to move forward, skillfully using new knowledge, while preserving and taking into account the experience of previous generations. However, despite the fact that books have become an integral and extremely important part of culture and society, they are often the subject of disputes and proceedings, sometimes lasting for several centuries.
Along with the Holy Bible, which tells about the creation of the World and the deeds of the Savior, the ancient philosophical treatises of Marcus Aurelius or reflections on the existence and God of Emmanuel Kant, the scientific works of Newton, legends and tales retold by the Brothers Grimm, there have always been other books … The Book of the Dead, about which make up legends for many centuries, the Black Bible, inviting the reader to look differently at the events that took place in the life of Christ. The Chronicle of Ancient States, written by Newton, is the century of Nostradamus that has terrified the reader for centuries. The fate of being an unacceptable book befell the great creation of M. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"; the novel was banned from publication in Soviet Russia for several decades.
Why do some books scare people so much? What danger do literary works contain, which are sometimes doomed to gather dust in oblivion for many decades or even centuries? Most often, not accepted and not approved by society are creations, the author of which invites the reader to take a different look at the generally accepted laws of the world order, or frightens with his revelations and prophecies. Quite often the stories and events described in the book begin to come true, exactly repeating the plot invented by the writer, as, for example, happened with the novel "Futility".
In 1898, the still unknown writer Morgan Robertson published his novel "Futility", which describes the death of the magnificent and seemingly indestructible liner "Titan", where all the high society of the Old World gathered. The wreck of the ship according to the plot of the book takes place on a cold April night due to a collision with an iceberg. Of the several thousand passengers on the ship, only a few dozen manage to escape, because the ship lacks lifeboats, and the most elementary items (knives and axes to cut the ropes) are missing.
The novel remained unclaimed and little known for 14 years, until the infamous events with the Titanic took place in 1912. The real tragedy that happened with the liner, frighteningly accurately repeated the plot described by Robertson in his novel: the name of the ship "Titanic" (in the book "Titan"); the collision with the iceberg occurred at night, in April; there were 2,200 people on board (there were 3,000 in the book); the blow fell on the starboard side of the ship.
The book shook the public, bringing fame to Morgan Robertson. The author of the prophetic novel was often asked how he managed to predict the death of the liner 14 years before the tragedy, to which the writer replied that he saw the death of the ship in a dream, during a serious illness. Relatives of those killed on the Titanic did not believe such statements, accusing the writer of the ship's death, taking with hatred both his book and himself.
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By the way, the sensational book was the only one that Morgan managed to publish and sell, his other creations did not arouse the interest of readers. The author of the prophetic novel himself died three years after the sinking of the liner, and remained unacceptable and misunderstood.
An interesting fate befell the novel by M. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita". The book was not officially published for several decades and was often copied by hand by fans of the writer's work. The reason for this attitude to the novel was not only the peculiar biblical plots woven into the novel and contradicting the ideology of that time, but also the too recognizable prototypes of Moscow officials and chairmen, cultural figures who were in power. It is characteristic that the fates of some of the characters in the book were partially reflected in the fates of real people who served as their prototypes in the novel.
It so often happens that people are attracted and at the same time frightened by things that they are not able to understand and explain, so books with prophetic plots will be of great interest to some, while others will want to ban the book, hide it away so as not to disturb the public. …
Be that as it may, from time to time, new authors appear who see and feel a little more than everyone else. In their books, they try to convey their knowledge, reveal secrets, warn about any things and events. Whether to pick up their books, or walk by, saving himself from frightening texts, let everyone decide for himself …