by 2 people |
The Father of Science Fiction
Writing about about submarine, world travel, space travel when such things were yet to come into existence, Jules Verne is one of the first science fiction authors in the world. It's always a delight to read his books and feel the excitement of exploration in them
Verne's Biography
Knowing the author's life helps understand better his works
Verne was born in Nantes in 1828, the eldest of five children. He was educated to be a lawyer like his father before him. However, after being in Paris to study law for a while, he pursued his true interest which was writing. Verne first wrote some plays and had moderate success. During this time he met Honorine de Viane and married her in 1857. His true talent for imaginative travelling stories was revealed in some stories written for "Musee des familles". After the success of "Five weeks in a balloon" (1862), Verne established a life-long partnership with the publisher Hetzel. Between 1864 and his death in 1905, he wrote 63 novels the most famous of which are "Travel to the center of the Earth", "Twenty thousand leagues under the sea", "Around the world in eighty days". Hetzel stated that the purpose of those works is "to sum up all the geographical, geological, physical as astronomical knowledge amassed by the modern science, and to rewrite to history of the world". Science's Prophet
Besides their thrills, Verne's novels are famous for their convincing scientific reasoning and incredibly accurate predictions about the future of science. For example, "Paris in the 20th Century" describes air conditioning, automobiles, television or the Internet quite close to the real devices. details of the Nautilus in "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea" are pretty accurate description of a modern submarine. Though he would invented some "facts" when necessary, Verne based his works on a solid scientific knowledge. "Voyages Extraordinaires"
Verne's famous fifty-four science-fiction/travel novels
These are Verne's world famous adventure stories first published by Hetzel and known collectively as "Voyages Extraordinaires" ("Extraordinary Voyages"). Though fictitious, they have a surprising degree of reality and many scientific predictions in them became true in later time.
- Cinq Semaines en ballon ("Five Weeks in A Balloon"). First appearance: 31 January 1863
- Voyages et aventures du capitaine Hatteras ("The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras"). First appearance: 20 March 1864
- Voyage au centre de la Terre ("Journey to the Center of the Earth"). First appearance: 25 November 1864
- De la Terre à la Lune ("From the Earth to the Moon"). First appearance: 14 September 1865
- Les Enfants du capitaine Grant ("The Children of Captain Grant"). English title: In search of the castaway. First appearance: 20 December 1865
- Vingt Mille Lieues sous les Mers ("Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea"). First appearance: 20 March 1869
- Autour de la Lune ("Round the Moon"). First appearance: 4 November 1869.
- Une Ville Flottante ("A Floating City"). First appearance: 9 August 1870
- Aventures de trois Russes et de trois Anglais ("The Adventures of Three Russians and Three English"). First appearance: 20 November 1871
- Le Pays des Fourrures ("The Fur Country"). First appearance: 20 September 1872
- Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-vingts Jours ("Around the World in Eighty Days"). First appearance: 6 November 1872
- L'Île Mystérieuse ("The Mysterious Island"). First appearance: 1 January 1874
- Le Chancellor ("The Chancellor"). First appearance: 17 December 1874.
- Michel Strogoff. First appearance: 1 January 1876
- Hector Servadac. First appearance: 1 January 1877
- Les Indes Noires ("The Black Indies"). First appearance: 28 March 1877
- Un Capitaine de Quinze Ans ("The 15-year-old Captain"). First appearance: 1 January 1878
- Les Cinq Cents Millions de la Bégum ("The 500 Millions of the Begum"). First appearance: 1 January 1879
- Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine ("The Contributions of a Chinese to China"). First appearance: 2 July 1879
- La Maison à Vapeur ("The Steam House"). First appearance: 1 December 1879
- La Jangada ("The Jangada"). First appearance: 1 January 1881
- L'École des Robinsons ("The School of Robinsons"). First appearance: 1 January 1882
- Le Rayon Vert ("The Green Ray"). First appearance: 17 May 1882
- Kéraban-le-têtu ("Keraban the Inflexible"). First appearance: 1 January 1883
- L'Étoile du Sud ("The Star of the South"). First appearance: 1 January 1884
- L'Archipel en Feu ("The Archipelago on Fire"). First appearance: 29 June 1884
- Mathias Sandorf. First appearance: 16 June 1885
- Un Billet de Loterie ("The Lottery Ticket"). First appearance: 1 January 1886
- Robur-le-Conqurérant ("Robur the Conqueror"). First appearance: 29 June 1886
- Nord contre Sud ("North against South"). First appearance:1 January 1887
- Le Chemin de France ("The Road to France"). First appearance: 31 August 1887
- Deux Ans de Vacances ("Two Years of Holiday"). First appearance: 1 January 1888
- Famille-sans-nom ("Family without a Name"). First appearance: 1 January 1889
- Sans Dessus Dessous ("The Purchase of the North Pole"). First appearance: 7 November 1889
- César Cascabel. First appearance: 1 January 1890
- Mistress Branican ("Mrs. Branican"). First appearance: 1 January 1891
- Claudius Bombarnac. First appearance: 10 October 1892
- P'tit-Bonhomme ("Little Fellow"). English title: Foundling Mick. First appearance: 1 January 1893
- Mirifiques Aventures de Maître Antifer ("The Wonderful Adventures of Captain Antifer"). First appearance: 1 January 1894
- L'Île à Hélice ("Propeller Island"). First appearance: 1 January 1895
- Face au Drapeau ("For the Flag"). First appearance: 1 January 1896
- Clovis Dardentor. First appearance: 1 July 1896
- Le Sphinx des Glaces ("The Sphinx of the Ice Fields"). First appearance: 1 January 1897
- Le Superbe Orénoque ("The Mighty Orinoco"). First appearance: 1 January 1898
- Le Testament d'un Excentrique ("The Testament of an Eccentric"). First appearance: 1 January 1899
- Seconde Patrie ("Second Motherland"). First appearance: 1 January 1900
- Le Village Aérien ("The Aerial Village"). First appearance: 1 January 1901
- Les Histoires de Jean-Marie Cabidoulin ("The Stories of Jean-Marie Cabidoulin"). First appearance: 1 July 1901
- Les Frères Kip ("The Brothers Kip"). First appearance: 1 January 1902
- Bourses de Voyage ("Travelling Scholarships"). First appearance: 1 January 1903
- Un Drame en Livonie ("A Drama in Livonia"). First appearance: 1 January 1904)
- Maître du Monde ("Master of the World"). First appearance: 1 July 1904
- L'Invasion de la Mer ("The Invasion of the Sea"). First appearance: 1 January 1905
Verne's Works
Get enchanted by the master of story-telling
Here are some of the most popular of Verne's novels that have delighted generations of readers since they're released.
Journey to the Centre of the Earth (Bantam Classics)
Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 11/26/2009) 
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Scholastic Classics)
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 11/26/2009)
From the Earth to the Moon (EasyRead Large Bold Edition)
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
Around the World in Eighty Days
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 11/26/2009)
Jules Verne: Five Complete Novels
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
Books on Jules Verne
These books approach the life and works of Jules Verne in various ways, which should give a thorough understanding about this man
Jules Verne
Amazon Price: $16.34 (as of 11/26/2009)
THE MAN WHO INVENTED THE FUTURE: JULES VERNE
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
Jules Verne, Master of Science Fiction
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
Verne's Influence
The success of Verne's journey novels created a craze for "science novels" in France by the end of the 19th century. There were numerous Verne imitators, which is probably one of the reasons for the reduced popularity of his later works. Certainly, Verne had a hand in the rise of the genre of science-fiction.The most noted impact of Verne's works is that they have created the interest, even passion for exploration and science among young readers. Some explorers and scientists have acknowledged his influence over them like Nansen, Marconi and Gagarin.
Verne's works have been adapted into movies and animations. There is an interactive map tool for virtual exploration of Earth and some other planets which is named Jules Verne.
Films Adapted from Verne's Works
The Visualization of the Magic
It should be interesting to see how the enchanting books of Jules Verne "come to life" in front of our eyes
Jules Verne's the Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth (1978) A.K.A. Where Time Began
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
Looking For Captain Grant / V Poiskakh Kapitana Granta (3 DVD) - (PAL/R5 - Russian Import)
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
Jules Verne's In Search of the Castaways (The original Disney Film Classic)
Amazon Price: (as of 11/26/2009)
Mysterious Island (Widescreen)
Amazon Price: $14.94 (as of 11/26/2009)
Verne-Related Links
Experience the charm of a scientific storyteller
- Verne's Works in Project Gutenberg
- Some of Verne's works are available on Project Gutenberg and you can read them for free. Most of them are in the original language (French) but there are also translations (for some works there are more than one version) in English and Dutch.
- Audiobook
- Works of Jules Verne in the form of audiobook.
- Jules Verne Voyager Interactive Map Tool
- Here is the interactive map tool mentioned above. Tracing the adventures described in Verne's works using it is quite fun!
- Homepage of North America Jules Verne Society
- A site for people who want more than just reading Verne's works.
News on Jules Verne
- ON THIS DAY IN MOVIES: FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON
- Directed by BYRON HASKIN from the novels of JULES VERNE, this sci-fi classic is part of the great adventure films of the 50's. Despite the fact that the ...
The Nautilus' Log
A journey (even if it is only in the mind) brings forth many things. Share them all here.
submit
by Musicalcroc
Sci-fi is my favourite genre, regardless of media. And Jules Verne is the author who starts it all for me. (more)
Explore related pages
Riverworld - a travel through past, present, future and fantasy- Philip José Farmer (PJF for short) has written a saga of five novels. Thi...
John Varley - Science Fiction Author- John Varley was one of the first writers to be called "The New Heinlein.&qu...
Jules Verne- Jules Verne was a French science fiction author. His visionary books are as inte...
Jules Verne - The Father of Science Fiction- Jules Verne was known as the "father of science fiction" (he actually shares it...
Roger Zelazny- I was introduced to the author Roger Zelazny's science fiction/fantasy books by...
