Jules Verne: An Exploratory Biography
by Herbert R. Lottman
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Drawing on previously unpublished letters and papers, Herbert R. Lottman reveals Jules Verne, the pioneer of the science fiction genre and the uncannily accurate forecaster of twentieth-century invention, in an entirely new light. In this groundbreaking biography, Lottman explores the dark, private side of the visionary writer. In his long-lost novel, Paris in the Twentieth Century (published in France in 1994, and in the United States in early 1997), Verne predicted a world filled with both show more technological achievements and monstrosities: cars, fax machines, synthesizers, computers, mass transit, and the electric chair. With uncharacteristic mistrust, Verne simultaneously marveled at the inventions and despaired at what drove people to create them. It is this elusive, disillusioned aspect of Verne that Herbert Lottman captures here. Tracing Verne's life from his childhood in Nantes to his self-imposed exile outside of Paris as an adult. Lottman sketches a vivid portrait of the man. Lottman brings to light for the first time Verne's secret struggles with his constant wanderlust, his unhappy marriage, his rebellious son, and his overbearing editor-publisher, Pierre-Jules Hetzel. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Easy, if overall slow read. I kept putting it aside for failing to retain my attention.
Still, it was interesting, if academic, and a fan of Verne may unfairly come away with the image tarnished. Tarnished not because of Verne, but because of Lottman's treatment...slow, and an odd mix of broad-based critique with excruciating attention to irrelevant minutia of details of Verne's life.
In this case, shoot the messenger. I loved Verne from childhood and knowing the man, as an adult, fortunately doesn't impact the memory of the love, but that's because I was able to overcome a plodding narrative.
Still, it was interesting, if academic, and a fan of Verne may unfairly come away with the image tarnished. Tarnished not because of Verne, but because of Lottman's treatment...slow, and an odd mix of broad-based critique with excruciating attention to irrelevant minutia of details of Verne's life.
In this case, shoot the messenger. I loved Verne from childhood and knowing the man, as an adult, fortunately doesn't impact the memory of the love, but that's because I was able to overcome a plodding narrative.
gave me what I needed to know
This is an excellent biography of Jules Verne.
Letto nel 2023 - Una biografia di Jules Verne molto rigorosa e approfondita sulla vita dello scrittore, citate numerose fonti e i fondi dove l'autore ha attinto le informazioni, Crea una lettura scorrevole ma anche impegnativa. E' anche uno spaccato della società francese ed europea nel mezzo del 1800. Interessante
Feb 1, 2023Italian
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20+ Works 891 Members
Herbert Lottman was a journalist, biographer, and historian of French intellectual life. After World War II, he moved to Paris, France. He wrote a variety of articles and reviews for several American periodicals including Harper's, Saturday Review, the New York Times, and the New York Times Book Review. He was Publisher's Weekly's European show more correspondent for more than 30 years. After leaving Publisher's Weekly, he began contributing a regular European column to Bookseller. He wrote several books about France and its literary culture. He also wrote a series of authoritative studies of French authors Camus, Flaubert, Colette, and Jules Verne. After suffering through several degenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, he died on August 27, 2014 at the age of 87. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Jules Verne
- Original title
- Jules Verne
- Original publication date
- 1996 (1e édition originale américaine) (1e édition originale américaine); 1996-06 (1e traduction et édition française ∙ Grandes biographies ∙ Flammarion) (1e traduction et édition française ∙ Grandes biographies ∙ Flammarion); 2005-04-01 (Réédition française ∙ Grandes biographies ∙ Flammarion) (Réédition française ∙ Grandes biographies ∙ Flammarion)
- People/Characters
- Jules Verne (1828 | 1905); Pierre-Jules Hetzel
- Important places
- Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France; Amiens, Somme, Hauts-de-France, France
- Epigraph*
- /
- Dedication*
- /
- First words*
- I
La Ballon
Les voies de la création sont multiples - et souvent prodigieuses. [...] - Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)(Epilogue)
[...].
Nous le lisons encore comme si nous assistions, nous aussi, à la naissance du monde moderne. - Original language*
- Anglais (Etats-Unis) (Etats-Unis)
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Biography & Memoir, Fiction and Literature, Literature Studies and Criticism
- DDC/MDS
- 843.8 — Literature & rhetoric French Literature French fiction Later 19th century 1848–1900
- LCC
- PQ2469 .Z5 .L65 — Language and Literature French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literatures French literature Modern literature 19th century
Statistics
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- 92
- Popularity
- 349,890
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.56)
- Languages
- 6 — Czech, English, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 1
