Jules Verne

Jules Verne (1828-1905) French author and science fiction pioneer. Verne's novels speculated on travel through outer space and underwater before technology had made these possible. His work has been widely translated and there are several film versions of some of his most popular works.

Biography

The early years

Jules Verne was born in the French seaport of Nantes on February 8, 1828, the eldest of five children. His family wanted him to become a lawyer, like his father. At the age of 20 he was sent to Paris to study law, but was far more interested in literature. Verne was already writing stories and plays. He completed his studies in 1849, but would never practice.

Instead he became involved in the Parisian literary salons meeting people such as Alexandre Dumas and developed an interest in the theatre.

When he refused to take over his father's law practice, his father cut off financial support. While he had some successes as an author and playwright behind him, Verne was obliged to work for a time as a stockbroker.

In 1856 he would meet his future wife, Honorine Morel, a widow with two children. In 1861 they would have a son, Michel. Verne’s relationship with his son would at times be tense. Michel Verne would go on to edit and publish and publish some of his father's work after the elder Verne's death.

The voyages extraordinaires

In 1862, Jules Verne began the business relationship which would launch his career, selling the novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon to the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel. Hetzel would sign Verne to a twenty year contract, committing him to a gruelling level of output--two complete novels a year. Hetzel was able to persuade Verne to give the public what it wanted; an optimistic, rather than pessimistic depiction, of human progress, happy endings, and an emphasis on storytelling over scientific detail. The novels receive the series title Voyages extraordinaires or extraordinary voyages.