Verne, << vurn, >> Jules (1828-1905), a French novelist, wrote some of the first science-fiction stories. Although his books were written before the invention of the airplane, they have remained popular in the space age. Verne forecast the invention of airplanes, television, guided missiles, and space satellites. Verne even predicted their uses accurately.
Verne cleverly used realistic detail and believable explanations to support incredible tales of adventure. His fantastic plots took advantage of the widespread interest in science in the 1800’s. He carried his readers all over the earth, under it, and above it. Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, published in 1870, tells about Captain Nemo, a mad sea captain who cruises beneath the oceans in a submarine. In Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), Phileas Fogg travels around the earth in the then unheard-of time of 80 days, just to win a bet. Other thrillers include A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), and Around the Moon (1870).
Verne knew a great deal about geography, and used his knowledge to make his stories realistic. He also wrote several historical novels, including a story about the American Civil War, North Against South (1887).
Verne was born on Feb. 8, 1828, in Nantes. He studied law in Paris but decided to become a writer. His first works were plays and the words for operas. Verne’s first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon (1863), brought him immediate success. It was based on an essay he wrote describing the exploration of Africa in a balloon. The essay was rejected several times before one publisher suggested that Verne rewrite it as a novel of imagination. The popularity of the book encouraged Verne to continue writing on science-fiction themes. Verne died on March 24, 1905.
