Jules Verne

Introduction

Jules Verne was a French novelist who is widely regarded as one of the founders of the science fiction genre.

Early Life

Verne was born on 8 February in Nantes, France in 1828. He was the son of Pierre Verne and Sophie Allotte de La Fuÿe.

Education

At age 5, Verne was already sent to a boarding school where he developed a keen interest in literature and theater from an early age.

Law Studies and Early Writing

Although he ended up studying law, he couldn’t shake his passion for literature and he began to write several plays, short stories, and essays for various publications.

Breakthrough in Career

Verne’s career took off when he first met the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel who agreed to publish his first novel “Five Weeks in a Balloon” in 1863.

Collaboration with Hetzel

This marked the beginning of a long and successful collaboration between the two men that resulted in more than 60 novels.

Writing Style

These novels included scientific facts, and adventurous plots and often featured inventions and discoveries that either anticipated or influenced real-world developments.

Famous Works

Some of his most famous works include Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, and The Mysterious Island.

Legacy

Verne’s novels grew in popularity and have since been translated into more than 150 languages worldwide. He has been praised for his scientific accuracy as well as his visionary imagination.

Personal Life

Verne was married to Honorine de Viane in 1857. She was a young widow with two daughters.

Later Career and Death

When they were married, Verne briefly had work as a stockbroker to support the family financially. Verne passed away in 1905 in Amiens, France at the age of 77.