By Lucia Silva Magaña
We have probably all heard of this famous author and may be familiar with some of his works such as Around the World in Eighty Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, or Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
Although this French writer, poet, and playwright died on March 24, 1905, he is still remembered and read all over the world, but what is it that has made his work transcend from generation to generation?
Undoubtedly, Verne knew how to handle dramatic tension to combine extravagant situations and poetic moments in a light and enjoyable way for his readers.
The following are some of the characteristics that are reflected in his work and that make it unique:
The power of the traveling spirit
Although Verne did not make a lot of trips throughout his life, along with his collection The Extraordinary Journeys, he managed to spread knowledge that is shown through the adventures of explorers, who starred in his works, and the way in which they entered unknown territories.
The power of reading
He was also a great fan of reading scientific and geographical journals, so every piece of information presented in his work was accurate. Likewise, he was aware of the technological revolution and integrated these innovations into his stories, for example, the telegraph.
The power of friendship
When Jules Verne arrived in Paris in 1847, he began to form literary circles where he became friends with Alexandre Dumas fils and had the opportunity to interact with great writers such as Balzac and Victor Hugo, with whom he exchanged knowledge and passions.
Another of his friends was the aerial photographer Nadar, from this friendship arose his love for aerostatic flight, which inspired works such as Five Weeks in a Balloon.
The power of imagination and progress
Within Verne’s mind emerged certain ingenuities that were ahead of their time, such as the submarine, space travel, or flying machines. At the time, few imagined that these inventions would become a reality.
«I have merely made fiction of that which was later to become fact, and my aim was not to prophesy but to spread the knowledge of geography among the youth,» he declared in a 1902 interview.
«My motto has always been the love of good and science,» he said.
He was a visionary author ahead of his time who was responsible for spreading knowledge through science fiction and whose works are classics of children’s and young adult literature of the twentieth century.
So now you know, reading Jules Verne is a way to travel to faraway, exotic, and extraordinary places. If you also like to travel and want to continue delving into new stories, we invite you to get to know our collection Ticket to Anywhere, a series of books with which you will not only learn but also let your imagination fly.
References:
García, P. (2019). Julio Verne, el escritor visionario. 24/03/2022, de National Geographic Web site: https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/julio-verne-escritor-visionario_13488
Fernández, Tomás y Tamaro, Elena. Biografía de Julio Verne. From Biografías y Vidas. La enciclopedia biográfica en línea [Internet]. Barcelona, España, 2004. Retrieved from https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/v/verne.htm 2024.