Jules Verne is a name that many will immediately associate as being the “Father of Modern Science Fiction” and it would be incredibly difficult to disagree with that notion, especially given what the French author was able to achieve during his lifetime.
He has proven to be an incredibly popular writer following his death in 1905, with the author having become the second-most translated since 1979, with his books such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World In Eighty Days, having placed him between legendary writers such as Agatha Christie and William Shakespeare.
Indeed, there is some debate about the “Father of Modern Science Fiction” title amongst many, though, as many have labelled individuals such as H. G. Wells and Hugo Gernsback as other authors who are more deserving.
Verne’s ability should not be underestimated
There will be a number of people around the world that will instantly think of Verne being associated with a background that consists of being either a world traveler or a scientist. However, it should be noted that he did not have either of those backgrounds, as much of the research that he managed to do for his novels simply came from his ability to soak in and take the information.
He managed to acquire a lot of the information that he needed in order to write his novels by reading other books and magazines, whilst also in conversations with his friends as he would regularly talk about scientific moments that had happened.
Verne had huge posthumous success
Nonetheless, Verne has been a huge success and has managed to provide inspiration to a number of different industries with his portfolio of work, which is a testament to what he managed to achieve during the 1800s when he was writing and producing his works.
For instance, there have been a number of movies that have taken inspiration from his books, such as “Around The World In 80 Days” that proved to be a hit as it won an Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year, whilst his “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” book provided the inspiration for Probability Jones’ slot game that can be found exclusively at Unibet Casino.
Verne’s novels had a huge influence on people
In fact, the books that are mentioned above also played a role in shaping out the careers of a number of individuals, with many having become famous because of what they do. For example, Admiral Richard Byrd had started on the eve of his polar flight that “Jules Verne guides me” whilst also paying tribute to the novels of “The Adventures of Captain Hatteras” and “An Antarctic Mystery” as he said, “It was Jules Verne who launched me on this trip.”
In addition, William Beebe also cited the novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” as a reason that attributed to his interest in oceanography after reading the story, whilst Ray Bradbury had once said, “… we are all, in one way or another, the children of Jules Verne.”
Could Verne predict the future?
Another reason as to why the French author, who was born in Nantes, France, in 1828 could be considered to be the “Father of Modern Science Fiction” is down to the incredible ability that he had of predicting the future when writing and producing the novels that he managed to create.
Many of the novels he wrote appeared to predict the events that happened after he wrote about them, although some could argue that he had inspired them. For instance, his “From Earth to the Moon” title which was written in 1865, predicted that there would be a space program.
He wrote about a Frenchman who volunteered to ride a cannonball as a group of people had wanted to fire it to the moon, however they were to use a cat and a squirrel to test it out first. NASA happened to use a monkey, but the ideas are very similar, as is the fact that the cannon in the novel was located in Florida, which is where NASA is based and the idea that the astronauts would land in the Pacific ocean.
In addition, the 1994 novel “Paris in the Twentieth Century” – which was initially written in 1863 and set in Paris in 1960 – predicted the world would have skyscrapers made of materials such as steel and glass, there would be high-speed trains, gas-powered cars, tools such as calculators and worldwide communication networks in existence.
Say what you will, but Jules Verne is certainly deserving of the “Father of Modern Science Fiction” label.