Joyeux Anniversaire, M. Verne!

Happy birthday to Jules Verne, born this date in 1828. He’s recently become one of my favorite writers.

The past few months I’ve been catching up on a bunch of literature from the 18th and 19th centuries, including the mighty duo of Verne and H.G. Wells. Here’s a little of what I wrote about A Journey to the Interior of the Earth last November:

What struck me most was how modern much of the writing seemed, at least for the time period; the author’s voice, though strained through a translator’s filter, seemed to evidence an inherent humor and friendliness.

The characterization of the two main people was superb — both the professor and his nephew were well-developed personalities, more than making up for the relative cyphers of Hans and the few other characters. They had a depth (appropriately enough), with Professor Liedenbrock a brusque, haughty scientist whose compassion could still shine through when his nephew was in danger. And Axel, a scaredy-cat who can come up with all kinds of reasons why their adventure is foolhardy, but still maintains his scientific curiosity and a bravado when it counts.

Thanks to Project Gutenberg, many of his works are available online to read.

Tangential update: Bruce Sterling has a theory about the current Undersea Cable-Severing Conspiracy —

Captain Nemo did it. Better send Professor Aronnax out to investigate.