Allan Kardec before Kardec: the life of Professor Rivail

When O Livro dos Espíritos reached the bookshops of Paris in 1857, the name on the cover was new to the public. In French classrooms, however, the author had been known for decades, under another name. Before becoming the codifier of Spiritism, Allan Kardec was Professor Rivail, a respected educator trained under Pestalozzi.

If you have studied the doctrine, visited a centro espírita (Spiritist centre) or are simply curious about the story behind the pseudonym, this text is for you. We will tell you who the man was before the name: where he was born, how he trained, what he taught and why he began signing as Allan Kardec.

Birth and training

According to Henri Sausse, whose biography the Federação Espírita Brasileira publishes in O que é o Espiritismo, Rivail was born in Lyon on 3 October 1804. He did his first studies there and completed them "at Yverdun (Switzerland), with the celebrated Professor Pestalozzi". The same source says he knew and spoke German, English, Italian and Spanish.

The educator in Paris

Back in Paris, he founded a school modelled on the one at Yverdun and organised, in his own home, "free courses in Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy and Comparative Anatomy, from 1835 to 1840". Sausse cites teaching works such as the Gramática francesa clássica (1831) and the Catecismo gramatical da língua francesa (1848), and mentions "numerous works" without giving a total.

The turning tables

Sausse places the change between 1854 and 1856. In Kardec's own account, which the biography transcribes, he heard about the subject, was sceptical and, in May 1855, at the home of Mrs Plainemaison in Paris, "I witnessed the phenomenon of the turning tables". From then on he applied, in his own words, the method of experimentation.

The book and the pseudonym

The account says that "more than ten mediums lent their assistance" to the work of questions, and from the comparison of the answers came the first edition of O Livro dos Espíritos, published on 18 April 1857. The first edition had 501 questions; the last, 1,019 (the work's page at the FEB).

On the name: Rivail was "very embarrassed" about how to sign, and considered that his name was "very well known in the scientific world", which could "give rise to confusion". He therefore adopted the name Allan Kardec, which, according to what his spiritual guide is said to have revealed to him, he had had "in the time of the Druids". That last part is a Spiritist belief reported in the source, not a verifiable historical fact.

After 1857

The Revista Espírita appeared on 1 January 1858, and the Sociedade Parisiense de Estudos Espíritas was founded on 1 April 1858, according to the FEB. Sausse records that Kardec died in Paris on 31 March 1869, "succumbing to the rupture of an aneurysm", and was accompanied to Père-Lachaise cemetery.

Spiritism in Brazil, according to official data

The 2010 IBGE Census counted 3,848,876 people who declared themselves Spiritists, out of 190,755,799 residents (about 2.0%). We do not quote 2022 Census figures because the release of the religion sample uses a different base (people aged 10 or over) and is not comparable without caveats.

Frequently asked questions

What was Allan Kardec's real name?

Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail. Allan Kardec was the pseudonym he adopted to sign the Spiritist works, keeping them separate from the name he already had as an educator in France.

When and where was Allan Kardec born?

He was born in Lyon, France, on 3 October 1804, and died in Paris on 31 March 1869, aged 64.

Why did he adopt the name Allan Kardec?

According to the account transcribed by Sausse, because the name Rivail was "very well known in the scientific world" and this could "give rise to confusion". The same source reports the Spiritist belief that the name Allan Kardec had been his "in the time of the Druids".

Where is Allan Kardec's tomb?

In Père-Lachaise cemetery, in Paris. According to areq.net, it is shaped like a dolmen and bears a bronze bust.

Come and discover the history of Spiritism up close

Professor Rivail's story is one of method and courage. If it sparks your curiosity, you can go beyond the books: Guatambu Travel's expeditions include itineraries through the land of Chico Xavier, and the Caravana Espírita departing from Porto Alegre puts into practice what the works teach. The next stop is the November 2026 expedition to Minas and Caldas Novas. Get in touch with us on WhatsApp and reserve your place.

The world is waiting for you. We take care of the rest.

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