In early 18th-century London, a mysterious man calling himself George Psalmanazar took the elite by storm, claiming to be a native from the island of Formosa (modern-day Taiwan). Despite looking distinctly European with pale skin and blonde hair, Psalmanazar explained that Formosan upper classes lived underground to escape the scorching sun. To cement his identity, he presented a meticulously constructed fake language, complete with a unique 20-letter alphabet, complex grammatical rules, and translations of Christian texts, including the Lord's Prayer and parts of the Bible.
When questioned by the prestigious Royal Society—including luminaries like astronomer Edmond Halley—Psalmanazar skillfully exploited European ignorance of East Asia and rampant anti-Catholic sentiment. He claimed Jesuit missionaries had kidnapped him and taught him Latin, which conveniently explained his fluency in European tongues. Halley attempted to catch him with astronomical queries about the sun's position in Formosa, but Psalmanazar deftly fabricated plausible-sounding answers on the spot.
His forged Formosan language was so internally consistent that linguists failed to spot the deception. He published a bestselling book describing Formosan culture, claiming locals routinely dined on raw meat and sacrificed 18,000 young boys' hearts each year. For years, London's elite championed Psalmanazar as a scholarly marvel.
By the time he quietly confessed decades later, he had already secured a place in history as one of the most brilliant literary impostors of all time.