""The Flower of the Swamp"" is a mediumnistic romance psychographed by Vera Ivanovna Kryzhanovskaia (1861-1924), a prominent Russian medium and pioneer recognized as the first woman representative of science fiction literature. The novel was dictated by the spirit of Count J.W. Rochester, who in life was John Wilmot, the seventeenth-century English poet and Earl of Rochester (1647-1680). Following his death, Rochester received a spiritual mission to propagate Spiritualism, channeling his vast knowledge of ancestral life and mystical narratives through Kryzhanovskaia's rapid mediumistic writing.
Published in English by the World Spiritist Institute in December 2025, the work was translated by Catherine Carmen and revised by Diego Segura Olivera from the 1997 Portuguese edition. The novel defies simple genre classification, as it expands across multiple literary categories, blending gothic horror, romance, family sagas, and forays into the fantastic. Through a highly descriptive novelistic layer, Rochester intricately addresses profound social and psychological themes while exploring ancestral mysteries and the unfathomable facts of history. Ultimately, the book serves as a testament to Rochester's post-mortem mission to guide humanity toward the light, seamlessly intertwining historical truth with imaginative, supernatural elements.
By:
Vera Kryzhanovskaia, The Spirit Count J W Rochester Imprint: World Spiritist Institute Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 13mm
Weight: 304g ISBN:9798295892288 Pages: 222 Publication Date:10 May 2026 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active