Jules Verne
French novelist, poet, and playwright; creator of the Voyages extraordinaires.
Last updated
Jules Gabriel Verne (8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages extraordinaires, a series of bestselling adventure novels including Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872). His novels are generally set in the second half of the 19th century, taking into account contemporary scientific knowledge and the technological advances of the time.
Last updated 2026-10-02 from the source article.
Lore & Background
Verne was born on 8 February 1828, on Île Feydeau, a then small artificial island on the river Loire within the town of Nantes. His parents were Pierre Verne, an avoué originally from Provins, and Sophie Allotte de La Fuÿe, a Nantes woman from a local family of navigators and shipowners, of distant Scottish descent. In 1834, at age six, he was sent to boarding school where the teacher, Madame Sambin, told stories of her husband as a shipwrecked castaway, influencing Verne's lifelong interest in robinsonades. He studied at École Saint‑Stanislas and later at the Lycée Royal in Nantes.
In 1847, his father sent him to Paris to study law. Verne has been the second most-translated author in the world since 1979, ranking below Agatha Christie and above William Shakespeare. He has sometimes been called the 'father of science fiction', a title also given to H. G. Wells and Hugo Gernsback.
Reader's Guide
Jules Verne’s stories have been turned into movies and TV shows since the earliest days of cinema, and they have also appeared in comic books, on stage, in operas, in music, and in video games. In France and across most of Europe, he is seen as a major writer whose work deeply influenced the literary avant-garde and surrealism. His reputation in English-speaking countries was very different: there, he was often dismissed as a writer of genre fiction or children’s books, mainly because his novels were frequently printed in heavily shortened and altered translations. Since the 1980s, however, his standing among critics has grown.
Did You Know?
- Verne wrote numerous plays, short stories, autobiographical accounts, poetry, songs, and scientific, artistic and literary studies.
- In the 2010s, he was the most translated French author in the world.
- In France, 2005 was declared 'Jules Verne Year' on the occasion of the centenary of his death.
- Verne's unfinished novel 'Un prêtre en 1839', written at age 19, is the earliest of his prose works to survive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jules Verne?
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French novelist, poet, and playwright who lived from 1828 to 1905. He is best remembered for his series of adventure novels called the Voyages extraordinaires, which blend speculative science with thrilling storytelling.
What are Jules Verne's most famous works?
His best-known novels include Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, and Around the World in Eighty Days. These titles all belong to his Voyages extraordinaires collection and remain widely read today.
Why is Jules Verne called a father of science fiction?
Verne grounded his plots in the scientific knowledge and technological advances of his own era while still imagining futures and adventures far beyond what existed. That blend of real science and bold speculation helped shape the genre we now recognize as science fiction.
What time period do Verne's novels take place in?
Most of his Voyages extraordinaires stories are set in the second half of the 19th century. This let him weave in contemporary inventions and theories while still giving his characters room to venture into unexplored territories.
What genres did Jules Verne write in?
He worked across several forms, including novels, poetry, and stage plays. His lasting reputation, however, rests almost entirely on his long-form adventure novels that mix exploration, science, and speculative technology.
More in Writers & Poets
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Jules Verne (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced