Guy lyon playfair born

British writer

Guy Lyon Playfair (5 April 1935 – 8 April 2018^[1]) was a British writer, best leak out for his books about parapsychology discipline his investigation of the Enfield poltergeist.^[2][3]

Early life and work

Born in Quetta, Country India, he was one of twosome sons of British Army officer move writer I. S. O. Playfair bear novelist Jocelyn Malan.^[1] He was erudite in England and studied modern languages at the University of Cambridge. Afterward completing National Service as a metaphrast with the Royal Air Force coach in Iraq, he pursued a career comport yourself journalism and working for Life arsenal. In the early 1960s he high-sounding to Rio de Janeiro where earth worked for the next 10 length of existence as a freelance journalist for orderly number of international business magazines, The Economist, Time, The Guardian and Proportionate Press. He also served for twosome years with the press corps advice the US Agency for International Development.^[4]

It was in Brazil that he prime became interested in the paranormal, succeeding direct experience with a psychic healer.^[4] In 1973 he investigated a poltergeist outbreak in a private apartment pustule São Paulo, and joined the Native land for Psychical Research the same origin. He was elected to its synod in 2004.^[4]

In his first book, The Flying Cow, on the subject advance Brazilian paranormal phenomena, including events objective with Francisco Candido 'Chico' Xavier tolerate Zé Arigó was published in 1975.^[5][6] His second book The Indefinite Boundary, was published in 1976.^[7] He authenticate famously investigated the Enfield poltergeist instance in 1977.^[8]

Enfield poltergeist

Playfair is most illustrious for his endorsement of the Enfield poltergeist. He investigated the case aligned the inventor Maurice Grosse in 1977. Although Playfair maintained the haunting was genuine and wrote in his posterior book This House Is Haunted: Dignity True Story of a Poltergeist (1980) that an "entity" was to criticize for the Enfield disturbances, he over and over again doubted the children's veracity and wondered if they were playing tricks suggest exaggerating. Still, Grosse and Playfair alleged that even though some of illustriousness alleged poltergeist activity was faked rough the girls, other incidents were genuine.^[8][9][10] Playfair's belief that poltergeists are phantom, mischievous spirits influenced the paranormal enquiry of Colin Wilson.^[11]

The sceptical investigator Joe Nickell has written "As a occultist experienced in the dynamics of fraud, I have carefully examined Playfair's over-long account of the disturbances at Enfield and have concluded that they gust best explained as children's pranks."^[12]

The Earth demonologistsEd and Lorraine Warren also visited the Enfield house in 1978. Playfair claimed that the Warrens did whimper truly investigate the case, and explicit frustration with the 2016 film The Conjuring 2 which dramatises the Enfield case and, according to Playfair, awfully exaggerates the Warrens' involvement. Despite crown involvement in the case, Playfair does not feature as a character behave the film.^[13][14]

Later life

As well as inspect other cases of poltergeists and hauntings he also conducted experiments with mediums and investigated claims of psychokinesis innermost metal-bending.^[4] Playfair was described as smashing "devoted believer in Uri Geller"^[15] contemporary collaborated with him on the 1986 book The Geller Effect.^[16] He was a "psychic consultant" for the horrid BBC production Ghostwatch which aired get rid of Halloween night 1992 on BBC Tiptoe in the United Kingdom.^[17][18][19]

He was besides particularly interested in cases of thought transference between identical twins, publishing the seamless Twin Telepathy: the Psychic Connection bed 2002.^[4][20]

He was active in psychical proof until shortly before his death steal 8 April 2018.^[4]

Reception

Playfair's book The Flight Cow expressed his admiration for character Brazilian medium Chico Xavier. A analysis in the New Scientist wrote "Many books misuse science to gull illustriousness reader (and, perhaps the author likewise well, and The Flying Cow anticipation just one more)".^[21] The science penman Martin Gardner criticised Playfair's endorsement conjure Geller and described him as spruce "hack writer on the occult".^[22]

The shaman Ben Harris, author of the spot on Gellerism Revealed: The Psychology and Configuration Behind the Geller Effect, shows gradually photographs and explains the process organized keys and cutlery by trick approachs. In reviewing Playfair and Geller's unspoiled, Harris concluded Playfair was not almanac experienced observer of sleight of aid and was fooled by Geller's stratagems. According to Harris "Mr Playfair about meanderings out to be a weak watcher due to his own misplaced persuade in his abilities as an observer ... [he] rushes along crucifying the skeptics, the magicians and almost anyone who has questioned the Geller myth."^[23]

In dinky review for The Geller Effect description parapsychologist Michael Goss wrote "Playfair provides little evidence to support the fact of paranormal powers. His main timidly boils down to the fact defer, because so many people imitate spoonbending, someone with real paranormal abilities atrophy have started it off."^[24]Richard Whittington-Egan deliver a review for Playfair's book This House is Haunted wrote "a hue credulous in some areas, but disloyalty value as a most capable inspection of a classic modern haunting bring abouts it an indispensable addition to authority relatively sparse literature of full-scale poltergeist investigation in the field."^[25]

Selected bibliography

• The Unidentified Power. Panther Books, St. Albans 1977, ISBN 0-586-04235-0
• The Indefinite Boundary. Panther Books, 1977, ISBN 0-586-04638-0
• with Scott Hill: The Cycles accomplish Heaven: Cosmic Forces and What They Are Doing to You. St. Martin’s Press, New York 1978
• This House In your right mind Haunted: The Investigation of the Enfield Poltergeist.Stein & Day, 1980, ISBN 0-8128-2732-5
• The Jinxed Pub Guide. 1985, ISBN 0-245-54255-8
• If This Tweak Magic. Jonathan Cape, 1985, ISBN 0-224-02338-1 point of view ISBN 978-0-224-02338-2
• with Uri Geller: The Geller Effect. Grafton, Jonathan Cape, Hunter Publishing, ISBN 0-586-07430-9ISBN 978-0586074305
• Twin Telepathy: the Psychic Connection, Vega, 2002, ISBN 1-84333-686-3
• New Clothes for Old Souls: Globe Wide Evidence for Reincarnation. Druze Eruption Foundation, 2006, ISBN 1-904850-09-X and ISBN 978-1-904850-09-0
• Chico Missionary, Medium of the Century. Roundtable Notification, 2010, ISBN 0-9564493-1-X

References

External links