Biography of Jules Verne: for the birthday of the writer. Brief biography of Jules Verne

Jules Verne, a 19th century French writer, gained his fame for his revolutionary science fiction novels like Around the World in Eighty Days and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

early years

Jules Verne was born on February 8, 1828 in Nantes, France, the city's bustling seaport. There, Verne was exposed to ships leaving and arriving, sparking his imagination for travel and adventure in his early years. While attending boarding school, he began to write short stories and poetry. After that, his father, a lawyer, sent his eldest son to Paris to study law.

He proved to be a great devotee of literature and theatre, and became a frequent visitor to the famous Parisian literary circles, where he befriended a group of artists and writers, which included Alexandre Dumas and his son. After graduating as a lawyer in 1849, Verne stays in Paris to enjoy his artistic inclinations. The following year, he wrote his first one-act play, Broken Straws.

The beginning of a career as a writer

Verne continued to write despite pressure from his father, who wanted his son to continue his legal career. The peak of relations with his father came in 1852, when Verne refused his father's offer to open his own law office in the city of Nantes. In the end, the aspiring writer chose a meagerly paid job as a lyric theater secretary.

In 1856, Verne met and fell in love with Honorine de Viana, a young widow with two daughters. They married in 1857, and realizing that he needed to strengthen his financial condition, Vern started working as a broker. However, he refused to give up his writing career, and in the same year he published his first book.

The first glory of Jules Verne

In 1859, Verne and his wife embarked on the first of some 20 trips to the British Isles. The journey made a strong impression on Jules Verne, which inspired him to write a new novel, which was not published until after his death. In 1861, his first son, Michel Jean Pierre Verne, was born.

Jules Verne's literary activity failed to gain momentum during this period, but his luck begins to change with his acquaintance with the famous editor and publisher, Pierre-Julet Etzel, in 1862. At the time, Vern was working on a novel that was heavily dosed with scientific research and adventure, and Etzel found in him evolving style. In 1863, Etzel published Five Weeks hot-air balloon”, the first in a series of adventure novels by Jules Verne. Verne subsequently signed a contract in which he would submit new work to the publisher each year, most of which would be serialized in Etzel's shop.

The period of brilliant novels and stories by Verne

In 1864, Etzel published The Adventures of Captain Hatteras and Journey to the Center of the Earth. In the same year, Paris in the Twentieth Century was rejected for publication, but in 1865 Jules Verne was still in print with the novels The Earth to the Moon and The Search for the Castaways.

Inspired by his love of travel and adventure, Vern bought a boat and he and his wife spent a lot of time sailing the seas. Verne's own adventures, sailing in various ports, from the British Isles to the Mediterranean, were the main components of his stories and novels. In 1867, Etzel published Verne's story, An Illustrated Geography of France and Her Colonies, and in the same year, Verne went with his brother to the United States of America. He only stayed there for a week, but his visit to America had an indelible impact, which was reflected in his later work.

In 1869, Etzel published one of the most famous novels Verna - "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" this moment translated into the languages ​​of many peoples of the world. Beginning in late 1872, Verne's serialized version, Around the World in Eighty Days, first appeared in print. The story of Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout tells readers about an adventurous world tour, at a time when travel was easy and alluring. Since its debut, the work has been adapted for theatre, radio, television and film. Verne remained prolific throughout the decade, writing a number of brilliant novels and short stories during this time, such as “ Mysterious Island”, “The Surviving Chancellor”, “Michael Strogoff”, and “The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain”.

Later years

Despite his extremely professional success by 1870, Jules Verne began to experience tension in his personal life. He sent his recalcitrant son to a reformatory in 1876, and a few years later, Michel caused even more problems through his relationship with a minor. In 1886, Verne was shot in the leg by his nephew Gaston, leaving him crippled for the rest of his life. His longtime publisher and collaborator, Etzel, died a week later, and his mother died the following year.

After establishing his residence in the northern French city of Amiens, Jules Verne began serving on the city's council in 1888. Suffering from diabetes, he died at home on March 24, 1905.

His additional work emerged decades later. Back to Britain was finally published in 1989, 130 years after it was written. And "Paris in the 20th century", which used to be considered too far-fetched, with images of skyscrapers, gas-powered cars and public transport, was published as early as 1994.

In all, Verne wrote over 60 books, as well as dozens of plays, short stories, and librettos. He conjured hundreds of memorable characters, and envisioned countless innovations from years of his time, including submarines, space travel, terrestrial voyages, and deep sea exploration.

Jules Verne was born on February 8, 1828 in France in a family of lawyers. He was the eldest of five children and, respecting his father, decided to devote himself to the legal profession. But his passion for books and writing constantly distracted him from his studies at the university. When Jules Verne turned 22, his play "Broken Straws" was staged in " Historic theater» A. Dumas. Since then, the young writer forgot about jurisprudence and devoted himself to creativity. But in order to provide for himself and his family, he still had to work either as a secretary or as a stockbroker.

In the spring of 1856, Jules Verne, having arrived at the wedding of his friend, meets Honorine de Vian. It was love at first sight. And, despite the fact that Honorina was previously married and after the death of her husband raised two children alone, the writer proposed to her.

After the marriage, Jules Verne sets sail first to England and Scotland, then to Scandinavia. Traveling fascinates him so much that he begins to write travel books. His first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, was a huge success among readers. Inspired by the sudden glory, the writer creates his most famous works: "Children of Captain Grant" and "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and many others.

After the birth of their only son, Michel, the Vern family moves to a small port town and acquires a yacht with speaking name"San Michel". Since then, Jules Verne no longer works on his books in his office, he writes on the deck of a yacht and continues to explore the world. During his life he traveled to the United States, Mediterranean countries, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. He wanted to sail on his yacht to Russia, but because of the storms he never managed to do it. His travels are reflected in many of his books.

At the age of 58, an accident occurs with Jules Verne - a mentally ill nephew wounds him in the ankle with a revolver. This incident marked the end of his wanderings. But until the end of his life, the writer continued his travels in his own imagination and on the pages of books. Even senile blindness and diabetes did not prevent him from writing - he composed and dictated texts.

Jules Verne died on March 24, 1905 at the age of 77, leaving behind huge collection entries from all areas scientific knowledge, which he kept all his life and used to write books. His love of science not only helped to create charming images of noble and slightly eccentric scientists - the heroes of his books, such as Paganel and Lidenbrock, but also predicted many scientific discoveries in his works. In the novels of the writer, long before the invention, airplanes and helicopters, video communications and even television are described.

Biography of Jules Verne about the main thing

Back in 1828, Jules Verne was born in Paris. Since his father was a lawyer, Verne had no choice but to continue his father's work. Jules Verne studied law in Paris, but he was always drawn to literature. In 1850, his play "Broken Straws" staged at the theater was an extraordinary success.

Since 1852, he got a job as a secretary to the director of the theater, and eventually as a stockbroker. In 1863 in literary magazine published a novel from the cycle " Extraordinary Adventure". He enjoyed great success at readers. Seeing the success of this genre, Verne wrote many works in the style of traveling. In fact, the writer himself had a love of adventure. In 1865 he moved closer to the sea. In speed, he purchased a yacht. On it he traveled England, Scotland and other European countries. Later, she became a floating office for him. In 1878 he traveled on a yacht in the Mediterranean. He visited many places, wanted to swim to St. Petersburg, but a strong storm prevented him from reaching his goal. Many trips and what they saw formed the basis of travel novels.

But in 1886, Verne was wounded and all travel stopped there. He was shot by a mentally ill relative.

Just before his death, Vern lost his sight, but new images and adventures continued to be born in a living mind. He dictated his novels. So, in 1905, the writer and traveler did not become great. After he died, many manuscripts were preserved, which were published for many years. Total written literary works about 100. Many of his novels have been filmed. Currently, his house, where he once lived, is a museum. In his novels, he described various inventions, which in the future real life could be seen. Talk about him as a prophet.

For 5, 6 grade. For kids

Interesting Facts and dates from life

Jules Gabriel Verne(fr. Jules Gabriel Verne; February 8, 1828, Nantes, France - March 24, 1905, Amiens, France) - French writer, classic of adventure literature, one of the founders of the genre science fiction. Member of the French Geographical Society. According to UNESCO statistics, the books of Jules Verne are the second most translated in the world, second only to the works of Agatha Christie.

Childhood

He was born on February 8, 1828 on the island of Fedo on the Loire River, near Nantes, in the house of his grandmother Sophie Allot de la Fuy on Rue de Clisson. The father was a lawyer Pierre Verne(1798-1871), leading his origin from a family of Provencal lawyers, and his mother - Sophie Nanina Henriette Allot de la Fuy(1801-1887) from a family of Nantes shipbuilders and shipowners with Scottish roots. On his mother's side, Vern was descended from a Scot. N. Allotta, who came to France to serve King Louis XI in the Scots Guard, curry favor and receive the title in 1462. He built his castle with a dovecote (French fuye) near Loudun in Anjou and adopted the noble name Allot de la Fuye (French Allotte de la Fuye).

Jules Verne became the first child. After him were born brother Paul (1829) and three sisters - Anna (1836), Matilda (1839) and Marie (1842).

In 1834, 6-year-old Jules Verne was assigned to a boarding school in Nantes. Teacher Madame Sambin often told her students how her husband, a sea captain, was shipwrecked 30 years ago and now, as she thought, he was surviving on some island, like Robinson Crusoe. The theme of Robinsonade also left its mark on the work of Jules Verne and was reflected in a number of his works: "The Mysterious Island" (1874), "School of Robinsons" (1882), "Second Homeland" (1900).

In 1836, at the request of his religious father, Jules Verne went to the seminary École Saint-Stanislas, where he taught Latin, Greek, geography and singing. In his memoirs "Fr. Souvenirs d’enfance et de jeunesse ”Jules Verne described the children’s delight from the Loire embankment, sailing merchant ships past the village of Chantenay, where his father bought a summer house. Uncle Pruden Allot committed circumnavigation and served as mayor in Bren (1828-1837). His image was included in some of the works of Jules Verne: Robur the Conqueror (1886), Testament of an Eccentric (1900).

According to legend, 11-year-old Jules secretly took a job as a cabin boy on the three-masted ship Coralie in order to get coral beads for his cousin Caroline. The ship sailed on the same day, stopping briefly at Pambeuf, where Pierre Verne intercepted his son in time and took from him a promise to continue traveling only in his imagination. This legend, based on real history, was embellished by the first biographer of the writer - his niece Margarie Allot de la Fuy. Already a well-known writer, Jules Verne admitted:

« I must have been born a sailor and now I regret every day that a maritime career did not fall to my lot from childhood.».

In 1842, Jules Verne continued his studies at another seminary, the Petit Séminaire de Saint-Donatien. At this time, he took up writing the unfinished novel The Priest in 1839 (French Un prêtre en 1839), which describes the poor conditions of the seminaries. After two years of study with his brother in rhetoric and philosophy at the Royal Lycée (modern French Lycée Georges-Clemenceau) in Nantes, Jules Verne received a bachelor's degree from Rennes on July 29, 1846 with the mark "Quite good".

Youth

By the age of 19, Jules Verne tried to write voluminous texts in the style of Victor Hugo (the plays Alexander VI, The Gunpowder Plot), but Father Pierre Verne expected serious work in the field of a lawyer from his first-born. Jules Verne was sent to Paris to study law away from Nantes and his cousin Caroline, with whom the young Jules was in love. On April 27, 1847, the girl was married to 40-year-old Emile Desune.

Having passed the exams after the first year of study, Jules Verne returned to Nantes, where he fell in love with Rose Ermini Arnaud Grossetier. He dedicated about 30 poems to her, including "The Daughter of the Air" (French La Fille de l "air). The girl's parents preferred to marry her not to a student with a vague future, but to a wealthy landowner Armand Terien Delaye. This news plunged young Jules into the sadness that he tried to "treat" with alcohol caused disgust for his native Nantes and local society. The theme of unfortunate lovers, marriage against their will can be traced in several works of the author: "Master Zacharius" (1854), "The Floating City" (1871), "Mathias Shandor" (1885) and others.

Studying in Paris

In Paris, Jules Verne settled with his Nantes friend Edouard Bonami in a small apartment at 24 Rue de l'Ancienne-Comedie. Aspiring composer Aristide Gignard lived nearby, with whom Verne remained friendly and even wrote chanson songs for his musical works. Taking advantage of family ties, Jules Verne entered the literary salon.

Young people ended up in Paris during the revolution of 1848, when the Second Republic was headed by its first president, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. In a letter to his family, Verne described the unrest in the city, but was quick to assure that the annual Bastille Day passed peacefully. In letters, he mainly wrote about his expenses and complained of pain in his stomach, which he suffered for the rest of his life. Modern experts suspect the writer has colitis, he himself considered the disease inherited from the maternal side. In 1851, Jules Verne suffered the first of four facial paralysis. The reason for it is not psychosomatic, but is associated with inflammation of the middle ear. Fortunately for Jules, he was not drafted into the army, about which he happily wrote to his father:

« You must know, dear father, what I think of military life and these servants in livery ... You need to renounce all dignity to do such a job.».

In January 1851, Jules Verne graduated and received permission to practice law.

Literary debut

Cover of the magazine "Musée des familles" 1854-1855.

In a literary salon, the young author Jules Verne in 1849 met Alexandre Dumas, with whose son he became very friendly. Together with his new literary friend, Verne completed his play Les Pailles rompues (Broken Straws), which, thanks to the petition of Alexandre Dumas père, was staged on June 12, 1850 at the Historical Theater.

In 1851, Verne met a countryman from Nantes, Pierre-Michel-François Chevalier (known as Pitre-Chevalier), who was the editor-in-chief of the Musée des familles magazine. He was looking for an author who could write engagingly about geography, history, science and technology without losing the educational component. Verne, with his inherent attraction to the sciences, especially geography, turned out to be a suitable candidate. The first published work, The First Ships of the Mexican Navy, was inspired by the adventure novels of Fenimore Cooper. Pitre-Chevalier published the story in July 1851, and in August published new story"Drama in the Air" Since then, Jules Verne has combined adventurous romance, adventures with historical digressions in his works.

Pitre Chevalier

Thanks to his acquaintance through Dumas-son with the director of the theater, Jules Sevest, Verne received the post of secretary there. He was not bothered by low pay, Verne hoped to direct a series of comedy operas written with Guignard and librettist Michel Carré. To celebrate his work in the theatre, Verne organized the Eleven Bachelors Dinner Club (Fr. Onze-sans-femme).

From time to time, father Pierre Verne asked his son to leave the literary craft and open a law practice, for which he received letters of refusal. In January 1852, Pierre Verne gave his son an ultimatum, transferring his practice in Nantes to him. Jules Verne refused the offer, writing:

« Am I not free to follow my own instincts? It's all because I know myself, I realized what I want to be one day».

Jules Verne researched National Library France, composing the plots of his works, satisfying his craving for knowledge. During this period of his life, he met the traveler Jacques Arago, who continued to wander, despite his deteriorating eyesight (he became completely blind in 1837). The men became friends, and Arago's original and witty travel stories spurred Verne on to an emerging genre of literature, the travel story. The magazine Musée des familles also published popular science articles, which are also attributed to Verne. In 1856, Verne quarreled with Pitre-Chevalier and refused to cooperate with the magazine (until 1863, when Pitre-Chevalier died, and the post of editor went to another).

In 1854, another outbreak of cholera claimed the life of theater director Jules Seveste. Jules Verne continued to engage in theater productions for several years after that, writing musical comedies, many of which were never staged.

A family

In May 1856, Verne went to the wedding of his best friend in Amiens, where he liked the bride's sister Honorine de Vian-Morel, a 26-year-old widow with two children. The name Honorina from Greek means "sad". To straighten out your financial position and get the opportunity to marry Honorine, Jules Verne agreed to her brother's proposal - to do brokerage. Pierre Verne did not immediately approve of his son's choice. On January 10, 1857, the wedding took place. The newlyweds settled in Paris.

Jules Verne left his theater job, went into bonds, and worked full-time as a stockbroker on the Paris stock exchange. He woke up before dawn to write until the time he left for work. AT free time he continued to go to the library, compiling his file cabinet from different areas knowledge, and met with members of the club "Eleven Bachelors", who by this time were all married.

In July 1858, Verne and his friend Aristide Guignard took advantage of Brother Guignard's offer to go on a sea voyage from Bordeaux to Liverpool and Scotland. Verne's first trip outside of France made a huge impression on him. Based on the trip in the winter and spring of 1859-1860, he wrote "Journey to England and Scotland (Journey Back) (English)", which first went out of print in 1989. The friends undertook the second sea voyage in 1861 to Stockholm. This journey formed the basis of the work " Lottery ticket No. 9672". Verne left Guignard in Denmark and hurried to Paris, but did not have time for the birth of his only natural son, Michel (d. 1925).

The writer's son Michel was engaged in cinematography and filmed several works of his father:

• « twenty thousand leagues under the sea"(1916);
• « The fate of Jean Morin"(1916);
• « Black India"(1917);
• « southern star "(1918);
• « five hundred million begums» (1919).

Michel had three children: Michel, Georges and Jean.

Grandson Jean Jules Verne(1892-1980) - the author of a monograph on the life and work of his grandfather, on which he worked for about 40 years (published in France in 1973, Russian translation was carried out in 1978 by the Progress publishing house).

Great-grandson - Jean Verne(b. 1962) is a famous operatic tenor. It was he who found the manuscript of the novel " Paris in the 20th century”, which for many years was considered a family myth.

There is an assumption that Jules Verne had an illegitimate daughter, Marie, from Estelle Henin (fr. Estelle Hénin), whom he met in 1859. Estelle Henin lived in Asnieres-sur-Seine, and her husband Charles Duchesne worked as a notary clerk in Quevre-et-Valsery. In 1863-1865, Jules Verne visited Estelle in Asnieres. Estelle died in 1885 (or 1865) after the birth of her daughter.

Etzel

Cover of Extraordinary Journeys

In 1862, through a mutual friend, Verne met the famous publisher Pierre-Jules Etzel (who printed Balzac, George Sand, Victor Hugo) and agreed to present him his latest work, Voyage en Ballon. Etzel liked Vern's style of harmoniously connecting fiction with scientific detail, and he agreed to collaborate with the writer. Verne made adjustments and two weeks later presented a slightly modified novel with a new title, Five Weeks in a Balloon. It appeared in print on January 31, 1863.

Pierre Jules Etzel

Wanting to create a separate magazine " Magasin d "Éducation et de Recréation” (“Journal of Education and Entertainment”), Etzel signed an agreement with Vern, according to which the writer undertook to provide 3 volumes annually for a fixed fee. Vern was pleased with the prospect of a stable income while doing what he loved. Most of his writings appeared first in a magazine before appearing in book form, which began with Etzel's 1864 second novel, The Voyage and Adventures of Captain Hatteras, in 1866. Then Etzel announced that he planned to publish a series of Verne's works called "Extraordinary Journeys", where the master of the word should " designate all the geographical, geological, physical and astronomical knowledge accumulated modern science, and retell them in an entertaining and picturesque way". Verne acknowledged the ambition of the undertaking:

« Yes! But the Earth is so big and life is so short! To leave behind a completed work, you need to live at least 100 years!».

Especially in the first years of cooperation, Etzel influenced the work of Vern, who was happy to meet the publisher, with whose corrections he almost always agreed. Etzel did not approve of "Paris in the 20th century", considering it a pessimistic reflection of the future, which was not suitable for a family magazine. The novel was considered lost for a long time and was published only in 1994 thanks to the great-grandson of the writer.

In 1869, a conflict broke out between Etzel and Verne over the plot of "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea". Vern created the image of Nemo as a Polish scientist who took revenge on the Russian autocracy for the death of his family during the Polish uprising of 1863-1864. But Etzel did not want to lose the lucrative Russian market and therefore demanded that the hero be made an abstract "fighter against slavery." In search of a compromise, Vern shrouded the secrets of Nemo's past. After this incident, the writer coldly listened to Etzel's remarks, but did not include them in the text.

travel writer

Honorine and Jules Verne in 1894 for a walk with the dog Follet in the courtyard of the Amiens house Maison de la Tour.

In 1865, near the sea in the village of Le Crotoy, Verne acquired an old sailing boat "Saint-Michel", which he rebuilt into a yacht and a "floating office". Here Jules Verne spent a significant part of his creative life. He traveled the world extensively, including on his yachts Saint-Michel I, Saint-Michel II and Saint-Michel III (the latter was a rather large steam vessel). In 1859 he traveled to England and Scotland, in 1861 he visited Scandinavia.

On March 16, 1867, Jules Verne and his brother Paul set off on the Great Eastern from Liverpool to New York (USA). Travel inspired the writer to create the work "The Floating City" (1870). They return on April 9 to the beginning of the World Exhibition in Paris.

Then a series of misfortunes befell the Verns: in 1870, Honorina's relatives (brother and his wife) died from a smallpox epidemic, on November 3, 1871, the father of the writer Pierre Verne died in Nantes, in April 1876, Honorina almost died from bleeding, who was saved with using a rare blood transfusion procedure in those days. From the 1870s, Jules Verne, raised in Catholicism, turned to deism.

In 1872, at the request of Honorina, the Vernov family moved to Amiens "away from the noise and unbearable hustle." Here, the Verns actively participate in the life of the city, arrange evenings for neighbors and acquaintances. At one of them, guests were invited to come in the images of the heroes of Jules Verne's books.

Here he subscribes to several scientific journals and becomes a member of the Amiens Academy of Sciences and Arts, where he was elected chairman in 1875 and 1881. Against the strong wishes and the help of Dumas son, Verne did not succeed in obtaining membership in the French Academy, and he remained in Amiens for many years.

The only son of the writer, Michel Verne, brought many problems to his relatives. He was distinguished by extreme disobedience and cynicism, which is why in 1876 he spent six months in a correctional institution in Metra. In February 1878, Michel boarded a ship to India as a navigator's apprentice, but the naval service did not correct his character. At the same time, Jules Verne wrote the novel The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain. Soon Michel returned and continued his dissolute life. Jules Verne paid off his son's endless debts and eventually kicked him out of the house. Only with the help of the second daughter-in-law did the writer manage to improve relations with his son, who finally took up his mind.

In 1877, receiving large fees, Jules Verne was able to buy a large metal sailing-steam yacht "Saint-Michel III" (in a letter to Etzel, the amount of the transaction was called: 55,000 francs). The 28-meter vessel with an experienced crew was based in Nantes. In 1878, Jules Verne, together with his brother Paul, made a long trip on the yacht "Saint-Michel III" in the Mediterranean Sea, visiting Morocco, Tunisia, the French colonies in North Africa. Honorina joined the second part of this trip through Greece and Italy. In 1879, on the yacht "Saint-Michel III", Jules Verne again visited England and Scotland, and in 1881 - in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Then he planned to reach St. Petersburg, but this was prevented by a strong storm.

Jules Verne made his last great journey in 1884. He was accompanied by his brother Paul Verne, son Michel, friends Robert Godefroy and Louis-Jules Hetzel. "Saint-Michel III" moored in Lisbon, Gibraltar, Algiers (where Honorina was visiting relatives in Oran), got into a storm off the coast of Malta, but safely sailed to Sicily, from where the travelers then went to Syracuse, Naples and Pompeii. From Anzio they traveled by train to Rome, where on July 7 Jules Verne was invited to an audience with Pope Leo XIII. Two months after the departure of "Saint-Michel III" returned to France. In 1886, Jules Verne unexpectedly sold the yacht at half price, without explaining the reasons for his decision. It has been suggested that maintaining a yacht with a crew of 10 has become too burdensome for the writer. More than Jules Verne never went to sea.

last years of life

On March 9, 1886, Jules Verne was shot twice from a revolver by the mentally ill 26-year-old nephew Gaston Verne (Paul's son). The first bullet missed, and the second wounded the writer's ankle, causing him to limp. I had to forget about travel forever. The incident was hushed up, but Gaston spent the rest of his life in a psychiatric hospital. A week after the incident, news came of Etzel's death.

On February 15, 1887, the writer's mother, Sophie, died, and Jules Verne could not attend her funeral for health reasons. The writer finally lost his attachment to the places of his childhood. In the same year, he traveled to his native city in order to enter into inheritance rights and sell Vacation home parents.

In 1888, Verne entered politics and was elected to the city government of Amiens, where he introduced several changes and worked for 15 years. The position involved supervising the activities of circuses, exhibitions, and performances. At the same time, he did not share the ideas of the Republicans who nominated him, but remained a staunch Orleanist monarchist. Through his efforts, a large circus was built in the city.

In 1892, the writer became a Knight of the Legion of Honor.

On August 27, 1897, his brother and colleague Paul Verne died of a heart attack, which plunged the writer into deep sadness. Jules Verne refused to have surgery on his right eye, which was marked by cataracts, and subsequently went almost blind.

In 1902, Verne felt a creative decline, responding to a request from the Amiens Academy that at his age " words go away but ideas don't come". Since 1892, the writer has been gradually refining prepared plots without writing new ones. Responding to the request of students of Esperanto, Jules Verne begins a new novel in 1903 in this artificial language, but finishes only 6 chapters. The work, after the additions of Michel Verne (the son of the writer), went out of print in 1919 under the title " Extraordinary Adventure Expeditions of Barsak.

The writer died on March 24, 1905 in his Amiens house at 44 Boulevard Longueville(today Boulevard Jules Verne), at the age of 78, from diabetes. More than five thousand people attended the funeral. German Emperor Wilhelm II expressed condolences to the writer's family through the ambassador who was present at the ceremony. Not a single delegate from the French government came.

Jules Verne was buried in the Madeleine cemetery in Amiens. On the grave there is a monument with a laconic inscription: " To immortality and eternal youth».

After his death, a card file remained, including over 20 thousand notebooks with information from all areas of human knowledge. 7 previously unpublished works and a collection of short stories came out of print. In 1907, the eighth novel, The Thompson & Co., written entirely by Michel Verne, appeared under the name of Jules Verne. The authorship of the novel by Jules Verne is still debated.

Creation

Review

Watching sailing merchant ships, Jules Verne dreamed of adventure since childhood. This developed his imagination. As a boy, he heard from the teacher Madame Sambin a story about her husband, the captain, who was shipwrecked 30 years ago and now, as she thought, is surviving on some island, like Robinson Crusoe. The theme of Robinsonade was reflected in a number of Verne's works: "The Mysterious Island" (1874), "Robinson's School" (1882), "Second Homeland" (1900). Also, the image of the traveler uncle Pruden Allot was included in some of the works of Jules Verne: Robur the Conqueror (1886), Testament of an Eccentric (1900).

While studying at the seminary, 14-year-old Jules vented his dissatisfaction with his studies in an early, unfinished story "The Priest in 1839" (French: Un prêtre en 1839). In his memoirs, he admitted that he read the works of Victor Hugo, especially fell in love with the "Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris”And by the age of 19 he tried to write equally voluminous texts (the plays“ Alexander VI ”,“ The Gunpowder Plot ”). In the same years, Jules Verne, in love, composes a number of poems that Arnaud Grossetier dedicates to Rosa Ermini. The theme of unhappy lovers, marriage against will can be traced in several works of the author: "Master Zacharius" (1854), "The Floating City" (1871), "Matthias Shandor" (1885) and others, which was the result of an unsuccessful experience in the life of the writer himself.

In Paris, Jules Verne enters a literary salon, where he meets Dumas the father and Dumas the son, thanks to whom his play Broken Straws was successfully staged on June 12, 1850 at the Historical Theater. For many years, Verne engaged in productions in the theater, wrote musical comedies, many of which were never staged.

The meeting with the editor of the Musée des familles magazine, Pitre-Chevalier, allowed Verne to reveal his talent not only as a writer, but also as an entertaining storyteller, able to explain geography, history, science and technology in an understandable language. The first published work, The First Ships of the Mexican Navy, was inspired by the adventure novels of Fenimore Cooper. Pitre-Chevalier published the story in July 1851, and in August he released a new story, Drama in the Air. Since then, Jules Verne has combined adventurous romance and adventure with historical digressions in his works.

The struggle between good and evil is clearly seen in the work of Jules Verne. The author is categorical, deducing in almost all works absolutely unambiguous images of heroes and villains. With rare exceptions (image Robura in the novel "Robur the Conqueror"), the reader is invited to sympathize and empathize with the main characters - examples of all virtues and to feel antipathy for all negative characters who are described exclusively as scoundrels (bandits, pirates, robbers). As a rule, there are no halftones in the images.

In the novels of the writer, readers found not only an enthusiastic description of technology, travel, but also vivid and lively images of noble heroes ( Captain Hatteras, Captain Grant, captain Nemo), cute eccentric scientists ( Professor Lidenbrock, Dr. Clowbonny, cousin benedict, geographer Jacques Paganel, astronomer Palmyrene Roset).

The author's travels in the company of friends formed the basis of some of his novels. A Journey to England and Scotland (Journey Back) (English) (first published 1989) conveyed Verne's impressions of visiting Scotland in the spring and winter of 1859-1860; "Lottery Ticket No. 9672" refers to an 1861 voyage to Scandinavia; The Floating City (1870) recalls a transatlantic voyage with brother Paul from Liverpool to New York (USA) on the steamer Great Eastern in 1867. In a difficult period of difficult family relationships, Jules Verne wrote the novel "The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain" as an edification to his naughty son Michel, who went on his maiden voyage in order to re-educate.

The ability to capture development trends, a keen interest in scientific and technological progress, gave some readers a reason to exaggerately call Jules Verne a "predictor", which he really was not. The bold assumptions he made in the books are only a creative reworking of those that existed in late XIX centuries of scientific ideas and theories.

« Whatever I write, whatever I invent Jules Verne said all this will always be below the real possibilities of man. The time will come when the achievements of science will surpass the power of imagination».

Verne spent his free time at the National Library of France, where he satisfied his craving for knowledge, compiled a scientific file cabinet for future stories. In addition, he had acquaintances with scientists and travelers (for example, Jacques Arago) of his time, from whom he received valuable information from various fields of knowledge. For example, the prototype of the hero Michel Ardant ("From the Earth to the Moon") was the writer's friend, the photographer and aeronaut Nadar, who introduced Vern to the circle of aeronauts (among them were the physicist Jacques Babinet and the inventor Gustave Ponton d'Amecourt).

Cycle "Extraordinary Journeys"

After a quarrel with Pitre-Chevalier, fate in 1862 gives Verne new meeting with the famous publisher Pierre-Jules Etzel (who printed Balzac, George Sand, Victor Hugo). In 1863 Jules Verne published in his " Magazine for education and leisure"The first novel from the series" Extraordinary Journeys ":" Five weeks in a balloon "(Russian translation - ed. M. A. Golovachev, 1864, 306 p.; titled" Air travel through Africa. Compiled from the notes of Dr. Fergusson by Julius Verne"). The success of the novel inspired the writer. He decided to continue to work in this vein, accompanying the romantic adventures of his heroes with increasingly skillful descriptions of the incredible, yet carefully considered scientific "miracles" born of his imagination. The cycle was continued by novels:

• "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1864),
• "The Travels and Adventures of Captain Hatteras" (1865),
• "From the Earth to the Moon" (1865),
• "Children of Captain Grant" (1867),
• "Around the Moon" (1869),
• "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (1870)
• "Around the World in 80 Days" (1872)
• "Mysterious Island" (1874),
• "Michael Strogoff" (1876),
• "Fifteen-year-old captain" (1878),
• Robur the Conqueror (1886)
• and many others.

Late creativity

Since 1892, the writer has been gradually refining prepared plots without writing new ones. At the end of his life, Verne's optimism about the triumph of science was replaced by a fear of using it to harm: "The Flag of the Motherland" (1896), "Lord of the World" (1904), "The Extraordinary Adventures of the Barsac Expedition" (1919; the novel ended by the writer's son Michel Verne). Belief in constant progress has been replaced by an anxious expectation of the unknown. However, these books never enjoyed such a huge success as his previous works.

Responding to the request of students of Esperanto, Jules Verne begins a new novel in 1903 in this artificial language, but finishes only 6 chapters. The work, after additions by Michel Verne (the writer's son), was published in 1919 under the title "The Extraordinary Adventures of the Barsac Expedition".

After the writer's death, a large number of unpublished manuscripts that continue to appear to this day. For example, the novel "Paris in the 20th century" of 1863 was published only in 1994. The creative heritage of Jules Verne includes: 66 novels (including unfinished and published only at the end of the 20th century); more than 20 novels and short stories; over 30 plays; several documentary and scientific publicistic works.

Translations into other languages

Even during the life of the author, his works were actively translated into different languages. Verne was often dissatisfied with the finished translations. For example, English-language publishers cut works by 20-40%, removing Verne's political criticism and extensive scientific descriptions. English translators considered his works intended for children and therefore facilitated their content, while making a lot of mistakes, violating the integrity of the plot (up to rewriting chapters, renaming heroes). These translations have been reprinted in this form for many years. Only since 1965 did competent translations of the works of Jules Verne begin to appear in English language. However, old translations are readily available and replicated due to their attainment of public domain status.

In Russia

In the Russian Empire, almost all the novels of Jules Verne appeared immediately after the French editions and withstood several reprints. Readers could see the works and critical reviews on them on the pages of the leading magazines of that time (Nekrasovsky's Sovremennik, Nature and People, Around the World, World of Adventures) and books published by M. O. Volf, I. D. Sytin , P. P. Soykina and others. Vern was actively translated by the translator Marko Vovchok.

In the 1860s, the Russian Empire banned the publication of Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, in which spiritual censors found anti-religious ideas, as well as the danger of destroying trust in Holy Scripture and the clergy.

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev called Vern a "scientific genius"; Leo Tolstoy loved to read Verne's books to children and drew illustrations for them himself. In 1891, in a conversation with the physicist A.V. Tsinger, Tolstoy said:

« Jules Verne's novels are excellent. I read them as adults, but still, I remember, they delighted me. In building an intriguing, exciting plot, he is an amazing master. And you should have listened to how enthusiastically Turgenev speaks of him! I don't remember him admiring anyone else as much as Jules Verne.».

In 1906-1907, the publisher Pyotr Petrovich Soikin undertook the publication of the collected works of Jules Verne in 88 volumes, which, in addition to well-known novels, included previously unfamiliar Russian readers, for example, "Native Banner", "Castle in the Carpathians", "Invasion of the Sea", "Golden volcano". As an application, an album with illustrations appeared French artists to the novels of Jules Verne. In 1917, the publishing house of Ivan Dmitrievich Sytin published the collected works of Jules Verne in six volumes, where the little-known novels The Cursed Secret, The Lord of the World, and The Golden Meteor were published.

In the USSR, the popularity of Verne's books grew. On September 9, 1933, the decision of the Central Committee of the party "On the publishing house of children's literature" was issued: Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift and Jules Verne. "DETGIZ" started the planned work on creation of new, high-quality translations and launched the "Library of Adventures and Science Fiction" series. In 1954-1957, a 12-volume edition of the most famous works Jules Verne, then in 1985 followed by an 8-volume book in the series “Library “Spark”. Foreign classic.

Jules Verne was the fifth (after H. K. Andersen, Jack London, the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault) in terms of publishing in the USSR foreign writer in 1918-1986: total circulation 514 editions amounted to 50,943 thousand copies.

In the post-perestroika period, small private publishing houses undertook to republish Jules Verne in pre-revolutionary translations from modern spelling, but with an unadapted style. The Ladomir publishing house launched the Unknown Jules Verne series in 29 volumes, which was published from 1992 to 2010.

AT modern Russia The writer's books are available in different formats and translations.

Russia in the novels of Jules Verne

Jules Verne did not have a chance to visit Russia, but the action of some of his novels is fully or partially set on the territory of this country:

• Michael Strogoff. Moscow - Irkutsk (1876),
• Stubborn Keraban (1883),
• The Foundling from the Lost Cynthia (1885), co-authored with André Laurie;
• Robur the Conqueror (1886),
• Caesar Cascabel (1890),
• Claudius Bombarnac (1892)
• The Stories of Jean-Marie Cabidoulin (1901),
• Drama in Livonia (1904).

Russians also appear as the main characters in the novels "The Adventures of Three Russians and Three Englishmen in South Africa"(1872) and" Hector Servadac. Travels and adventures in the circumsolar world" (1877). In Upside Down, Russian delegate Boris Karkov attends a meeting of Barbican & Co. Russia in Verne's works seems to be a kind of distant fairyland which has little in common with the realities of the time.

perpetuation of memory

Named after Jules Verne:

• asteroid 5231 Verne, discovered on May 9, 1988 by K. S. Shoemaker and Y. M. Shoemaker and G. Holt at the Palomar Observatory and received its name on February 15, 1995;
• first automatic truck spaceship, developed by ESA;
• a crater on the Moon with a diameter of 146 km;
• Issue 16 operating system Fedora codenamed Verne;
• a restaurant on the first level of the Eiffel Tower in Paris;
• street in Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan);
• challenge prize Jules Verne Cup awarded since 1993 to the crew of the yacht for the fastest round-the-world, non-stop sailing;
• the French association "The Adventures of Jules Verne" is engaged in the defense environment and raising public awareness about the conservation of endangered species.

In numismatics and philately:

• The French Mint has repeatedly dedicated issues of coins to the memory of the writer. In 2005-2006, 23 gold, silver and copper coins were minted to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Verne's death. On June 25, 2012, within the framework of the numismatic series "Regions of France", a 10 euro silver coin was issued depicting the writer and objects from his works. She represents the region of Picardy, where the writer lived until the end of his life;
• Featured on a 1978 Hungarian postal block;

Museums and monuments

Several Jules Verne museums have been opened. The main tourist destinations in the writer's footsteps are his hometown of Nantes and Amiens. From 1882 to 1900, the Verns lived in a four-story house Maison de la Tour with a tower on the Rue Charles Dubois in Amiens. Here the science fiction writer wrote 34 novels. In 1890, the city municipality bought the building and opened the museum to the public in 1991, which was transformed in 2006 with the purchase of documents, books, furniture and other items of the writer from Count Piero Gondolo della Riva, an Italian collector and admirer of Vern's work.

There are no museums dedicated to the writer in Russia. However, in 2013 in Irkutsk, where part of the events of the novel "Mikhail Strogoff" took place, an exhibition dedicated to the writer was held with personal objects brought from Nantes for the first time (a globe, a preparation with measuring and drawing tools, the Order of the Legion of Honor, the first edition of the novel "Mikhail Strogoff" 1876 of the year).

In 2015, the first monument in Russia to Jules Verne by Kazan sculptor Fanil Valiullina was erected in Nizhny Novgorod. The monument represents the figure of the writer in life size standing in a balloon basket. The grand opening took place on September 27, 2015 on the Fedorovsky embankment and was timed to Year of Literature in Russia, as well as to the 110th anniversary of the death of the writer.

Jules Verne Museum in Nantes

Jules Verne Museum in Nantes (back side)

House in Le Crotoy, where Jules Verne lived in 1865 - 1870.

House with a tower (Maison de la Tour) in Amiens, where Jules Verne lived and worked

Music room in the Amiens house. Photo from 1894.

Jules Verne's room in the Amiens house in 1894.

Influence

The work of Jules Verne had a great influence on the literary and scientific worlds. Authors influenced by the works of the famous science fiction writer:

• I. A. Efremov
• Marcel Aime,
• Roland Bart,
• Rene Barzhavel,
• Michel Butor,
• Blaise Cendrars,
• Paul Claudel,
• Jean Cocteau,
• Raymond Roussel,
• Francois Mauriac,
• Antoine de Saint-Exupery,
• Jean-Paul Sartre.

Ray Bradbury said that "we are all, one way or another, the children of Jules Verne."

Wolfgang Holbein wrote a continuation of the story of the Nautilus, creating a series of books "Children of Captain Nemo" (German: Kapitän Nemos Kinder).

Among the researchers inspired by Verne's ideas were:

• first cosmonaut Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin,
• founder of modern aeromechanics Nikolay Egorovich Zhukovsky,
• French caver Norbert Casteret,
• Brazilian aviator and airship builder Alberto Santos-Dumont,
• autogyro creator Juan de la Sierva,
• the inventor of the billboard apparatus Eduard Belin,
• Norwegian traveler Fridtjof Nansen,
• inventor of radio communication Guglielmo Marconi,
• stratosphere explorer Auguste Piccard,
• volcanologist Garun Taziev

Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky admitted: “ Committed to space travel laid in me by the famous visionary Jules Verne. He awakened the work of the brain in this direction". Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev echoed him: “ As an example, I can say that I became a traveler and explorer of Asia through reading the novels of Jules Verne.».

Jules Verne is the mastermind behind the steampunk genre with his praise of 19th century scientific progress and invention.

Screen adaptations

The first film adaptations of Jules Verne's works were directed by his son Michel Verne: twenty thousand leagues under the sea"(1916); " The fate of Jean Morin"(1916); " Black India"(1917); " southern star"(1918); " five hundred million begums» (1919).

In 1902, the first science fiction film in the history of cinema, A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès, was released, which is more than a screen adaptation, but a parody of the plots of Jules Verne's novels From a Cannon to the Moon and HG Wells' First Men in the Moon. .

In total, there are more than 200 adaptations of the writer's works.

Several films based on the works of Jules Verne were shot in the USSR:

• Children of Captain Grant (1936)
• Mysterious Island (1941)
• Fifteen Year Old Captain (1945)
• A scene from From a Cannon to the Moon is reproduced at the beginning of The Man from Planet Earth (1958).
• Broken horseshoe (1973)
• Captain Nemo (1975)
• In Search of Captain Grant (1985, 7 episodes)
• Captain of the Pilgrim (1986)

Who does not know the popular French writer, one of the founders of science fiction Jules Verne. The author wrote for both teenagers and adults, in his works he managed to capture the enterprising spirit of the 19th century, the charm of the people of that generation, scientific inventions and the achievements of the technological revolution.

Jules Verne's books are more distinguished by the form of writing in the form of notes, which allows you to even more imbue with the thoughts of the characters. Some of the author's ideas turned out to be prophetic.

Features of the work of Jules Verne

Jules Verne was one of the first who decided to touch upon the problem of the moral side of scientific discoveries, which a few decades later led to many discussions and discussions: whether or not to be humanity on the same planet with deadly man-made monsters like an atomic or hydrogen bomb.

Popularity came to the author instantly, all his novels were liked by the public. Majority Russian writers, such as Saltykov-Shchedrin, Leo Tolstoy, Turgenev wrote positive reviews on works and never ceased to be amazed at the virtuosity of Verne's imagination. Dmitri Mendeleev was also an admirer of the author and called him a "scientific genius".

The best Jules Verne books online:

Over time, science has gone far ahead, ahead of the heroes from the books of Jules Verne. Although, what is surprising here. But this only once again confirms that Jules Verne was able to realize his only long-standing dream: to combine science and art.

Brief biography of Jules Verne

The future writer was born in 1828 in the city of Nantes. He grew up in a family of lawyers, so from childhood he was immersed in the legal environment, which influenced his later life. After leaving school, he went to Paris to study law. At the same time, Jules Verne begins to take an interest in literature.

He often wrote comedies and short stories. In 1850, his play was staged for the first time in the theater, and in 1863 the first novel from the series " Extraordinary Journeys». Since that time, Jules Verne tried many things, but he never stopped writing.

The first book brought the author a great success. Motivated by positive criticism, the writer decided to continue writing adventure novels with the wonders of science. Verne traveled the United States, the Mediterranean and all of Europe. His creative achievements include 66 novels, many plays and short stories.

In 1886, during a shootout with a mentally ill nephew, Jules Verne was seriously wounded in the leg. Then I had to stop traveling. In 1892, the writer was awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor. Before his death, the writer went blind, and he had to dictate the last chapters of his books. Jules Verne died of diabetes in 1905.

Creator of the classic adventure novel. A writer whose works have no age - even a hundred years later they will be read with the same pleasure as they were a hundred years ago.

Take a look - and even now you will see on the cinema! and television screens dozens of adaptations of novels by Jules Verne.

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" The story of Professor Pierre Aronax and his friends, who by chance found themselves on the submarine of the mysterious Captain Nemo...

The heroes travel across three oceans, looking for a shipwrecked Scottish patriot, Captain Grant. The work is widely deployed pictures of nature and life of people in various parts Sveta.

Artist: P. Lugansky

In Around the World in 80 Days, Verne describes an imperturbable Englishman and his efficient servant, who, on a dare, rush around as soon as possible. Earth experiencing a lot of adventure. Unlike many other fictional journeys in Verne's books, which took place on fantastic, yet uninvented means of transport, here the characters used the means that already existed.

Before you is the book "Captain Nemo" - the famous trilogy of adventure novels by the talented dreamer and storyteller Jules Verne. Loved by children and adults around the world, these thrilling novels are brought together common characters, the main of which is Captain Nemo, an outstanding inventor and fighter for justice.

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" is one of the most famous novels by Jules Verne, which tells about a journey around the world through unexplored sea depths with the fearless crew of Captain Nemo.

The Mysterious Island is a robinsonade novel about five Americans who, by chance, find themselves on a desert island, and eventually realize that something mystical and inexplicable is happening there.

Captain Grant's Children is a novel about the exciting and dangerous adventures of Mary and Robert as they set off in search of their father, Captain Grant, whose ship was shipwrecked somewhere in the southern hemisphere.

A famous scientist accidentally discovers in lava samples from a northern volcano the remains of animals that disappeared from Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago. Is it possible that the prehistoric world of giant dinosaurs and pterodactyls, ichthyosaurs and other monsters, which official science considers long dead, is hiding from people under the earth's crust for all these countless centuries?!

The expedition to the center of the Earth begins.

And even its brave participants themselves do not yet know how many exciting and deadly adventures they have to go through in " lost world where no man has ever set foot...

At times civil war in the USA, five brave northerners escape from captivity in a hot air balloon. A terrible storm throws them onto the shore of a desert island. The courage and talents of the new settlers of the island help them to arrange their lives without feeling the need for food, clothing, or warmth and comfort. The peaceful stay of the Robinsons on the island is violated by the threat of pirate attacks, but some mysterious force helps them in the most difficult situations.

The book contains 129 illustrations.

Jules Verne wrote a great popular science work "The History of Great Journeys and Great Travelers" for 16 years. It vividly and entertainingly describes the most significant travels, discoveries, events that gradually changed a person's understanding of the geography of the world, erased white spots on maps, promised wealth and became the causes of wars. The author covered the period from ancient times until the 40s of the XIX century. In his work, he was greatly assisted by the geographer, translator and librarian Gabriel Marcel. The first volume of the "History", entitled "The Discovery of the Earth", tells about the period from ancient times to the end of the 17th century, including the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. The translation in this book is based on the "canonical" translation by E. Brandis, first published in the 1950s. XX century. It was rechecked with the original, inaccuracies were corrected in the text and extensive denominations were restored. Translation of missing passages - A. Moskvin. They also re-compiled a list of additional literature.

Jules Verne - bright representative writers who weaved fiction into reality so subtly that it was almost impossible to tell it apart. Knowledge of human nature helped him to describe for a century ahead what people of the 20th century will live.

Lawyer and writer

Jules Verne was the eldest of five children in the family of lawyer Pierre Verne and Sophie-Nanina-Henriette Allot de la Fuue, who had Scottish roots. Because the legal profession was hallmark Vernov is not the first generation, then at first Jules also began to study law. However, the love of writing turned out to be stronger. Already in 1850, the first production of his play “The Broken Straw” saw the world. They staged it at the Historical Theater named after Alexandre Dumas. In 1852, Verne began working as the director's secretary in " Lyric theater where he stayed for two years. And already in 1854 he tries himself as a stockbroker: he works during the day, and in the evenings he writes librettos, stories and comedies. The first publications of Incredible Adventures In 1863, the Magazine for Education and Recreation first published his Five Weeks in a Balloon, a novel that opened the cycle following stories about the adventures. Readers liked the author's style very much. unusual conditions the main characters experience both romantic feelings and get acquainted with incredible and outlandish living conditions. Jules Verne understands that people like to read what he likes to make up. Therefore, in the continuation of the cycle, several more novels are released. Among them are "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "Children of Captain Grant", "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", "Around the World in 80 Days" and others. But not all publishers shared the views of readers and the writer himself. So in 1863, when Verne wrote the novel "Paris in the 20th century", the publisher returned the manuscript to him, calling the author a writer and a blockhead. He did not like some of the "unrealistic inventions" that Verne described in great detail. It was about the telegraph, the car and the electric chair.

Family and eternal problems of the son

Jules Verne met his future wife Honorine at a friend's wedding in Amiens. She was a widow and had two children from a previous marriage. The very next year they got married, and in 1871 their son Michel was born. There were some troubles with the only son all the time: at school he was one of the worst, besides he was a hooligan, so Jules Verne sent him to a colony for teenagers. But then I had to pick him up from there too: Michel tried to commit suicide. And his father attached him to a merchant ship as an assistant. After returning to France, Michel continued to run into debt. But already in 1888 he tried himself as a journalist and writer: several of his essays were published under the name of his father. By the way, after the death of Jules Verne, he wrote his biography and published several novels, which later turned out to be his works. Michel Verne was also a director, it was he who made several films based on the plots of Jules Verne's novels.

Travel for inspiration

Jules Verne often left France. He had not so much a desire to see the world as to change his worldview, to get acquainted with the culture of other peoples. As a geographer, he knew a lot of interesting things, but he understood that he did not know even more. He was interested scientific discoveries, he was drawn to knowledge both as a scientist and as a writer - after all, in his novels one can trace not only specific facts from science, but also dreams that will soon become reality. Therefore, it is not surprising that Jules Verne is not afraid to travel on his own yacht to the shores of England and Scotland. In 1861 he sailed to Scandinavia, and then to America - in 1867 he visited Niagara and New York. In 1878, Verne traveled on a yacht in the Mediterranean: Lisbon, Algiers, Gibraltar and Tangier were on his route. Four years later, he is drawn to Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The Russian Empire was also in his plans, but the storm prevented him from reaching the present St. Petersburg. In 1884, he was again going to sail on his yacht "Saint-Michel III", this time he visited Malta and Italy, was again in Algiers. All these trips eventually became part of the plots of his books.

What did Jules Verne predict and where did he go wrong in his books?

As a science fiction writer, he foresaw many innovations in science. So in his books many decades before their inventions, he talks about airplanes and helicopters, the electric chair as a measure of punishment, television and video communications, space flights and satellite launches (there wasn’t even such a word then), the construction of TurkSib and even the Eiffel Tower. But with what Vern miscalculated a little, it was with the ocean at the South Pole and the unexplored mainland at the north. Everything turned out to be exactly the opposite. He did not guess when he wrote about the cold core of the earth. In addition, the "Nautilus" he described is so perfect that science has not yet been able to make a submarine with such functions.

"To immortality and eternal youth"

In 1896, a tragic incident occurred in the life of Jules Verne: his mentally ill nephew shot the writer in the ankle. Due to injury, Vern could never travel. But the plots for the next books were already in Jules Verne's head, because in 20 years he managed to write 16 more novels and many stories. A few years before his death, Jules Verne went blind and could no longer write himself, so he dictated his books to stenographers. Jules Verne died of diabetes at the age of 77. After his death, over 20 thousand notebooks written by his hand about various inventions and facts from the history of mankind remained. The science fiction writer was buried in Amiens, the inscription on the monument that stands on his grave reads: "To immortality and eternal youth."

Titles and awards

In 1892, Jules Verne was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. In 1999 - Hall of Fame Science Fiction and Fantasy / Hall of Fame (posthumously)

• Jules Verne's books have been translated into 148 languages, and he himself is the second most popular author in the world, after Agatha Christie.
• Most often he worked for fifteen hours a day: from five in the morning to eight in the evening.
• "Journey to the Center of the Earth" was banned in the 19th century in Russian Empire. The clergy decided that the book was anti-religious.
• Jules Verne was accepted into the Geographical Society of France due to his frequent travels.
• Initially, Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a Polish aristocrat who built a submarine to take revenge on the Russians. But the editor advised me to change the details, because Verne's books had already begun to be translated into Russian and sold in Russia.