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(1828-1905)
Jules Verne had a great imagination. In his stories he wrote of airplanes, missiles, and television, long
before any of these things were invented. Along with H.G. Wells he’s considered to be one the pioneering
writers of science fiction. He reflects the nineteenth century fascination with progress and inventions.
Although some of Verne’s scientific ideas are now outdated, a view of science in that age is historically
valuable for the modern reader.
Verne was born on February 8, 1828, in Nantes, France. When he was a boy he ran off to be a cabin boy
on a merchant ship but he was caught and returned to his parents. He first thought he was going to be
a lawyer. He studied law in Paris, but then he changed his mind. He wanted to be a writer. When his father
found out that he was writing rather than studying law, he withdrew all financial support. Verne was forced
to make money from writing so he started by writing plays and the words for operas. Today he is known
best for his novels.
Many of his books involve stories of amazing journeys, often in the form of a travel book. Unlike contemporary
Lewis Carroll, whose 1865 novel Alice in Wonderland took place in a fantasy world, Verne is concerned
with realistic and practical details. His first book, Five Weeks in a Balloon, takes a look at
exploring Africa by hot-air balloon. In A Journey to the Center of Earth, its characters travel
deep beneath Earth’s surface. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea follows the adventures
of Captain Nemo traveling the world’s oceans in his submarine Nautilus. Verne takes to the air again
with Around the World in Eighty Days. This time the character Phileas Fogg goes across the globe
in a balloon just to win a bet.
Many of Verne’s creations in his novels predicted later scientific developments. His submarine Nautilus
predated the first successful power submarine twenty five years later. His spaceship predicted a successful
journey into space a century later.
Verne’s novels have inspired many film makers. In 1954 Walt Disney produced Twenty Thousand Leagues
Under the Sea which gained an Oscar for its special effects. Mike Todd’s Around the Work
in Eighty Days won an Oscar for Best Picture. The film used 8552 animals, mainly sheep, buffalos and
donkeys; and 4 ostriches.
Verne became very rich with his success. In 1876 he bought a large yacht and sailed around Europe. He
returned to Amiens in 1871 where he settled, and was elected councilor in 1888. His last novel Invasion
of the Sea was published in 1905.
Verne’s exciting stories earned him fans around the world. And people are still reading his books
today: he is the third most translated novelist in the world. Verne died on March 24, 1905, in Amiens,
France.
© 2006 A&E Television Networks. All rights reserved.
Related Works
Novels
1863 Five Weeks in a Balloon
1864 Journey to the Centre of the Earth
1865 From the Earth to the Moon
1870 Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea
1873 Around the World in Eighty Days
1874 The Mysterious Island
Related Websites
Read some of Verne’s stories
http://www.jules-verne.co.uk/
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