Herbert George Wells
The founder of science fiction and bourgeois futurology
Wells Herbert George (9/21/1866, Bromley, - 8/13/1946, London), English writer, one of the founders of science fiction and bourgeois futurology. He became famous in the 90s of the 19th century as a science fiction writer ("Time Machine", 1895; "The Island of Dr. Moreau", 1896; "The Invisible Man", 1897; "War of the Worlds", 1898; "When the Sleeper Wakes ", 1899, etc.). Wells' social utopias (Modern Utopia, 1905; New Worlds Instead of Old Worlds, 1908; People Like Gods, 1923, etc.) are written from the standpoint of Fabian liberal reformism. Wells's treatise Foresight (1901) was the forerunner of futurology. Wells tried to create his own concept of world history ("A Brief Sketch of History", 1922). Since the 1920s, he took a sharp anti-fascist position (On the Eve, 1927; The Autocracy of Mr. Pargem, 1930; The Croquet Player, 1936). He visited Russia three times (in 1914, 1920 and 1934). His conversation with V. I. Lenin became widely known ("Russia in the Dark", 1920) and played a well-known role in spreading the truth about the Sov. Russia. Wells' last works are imbued with the spirit of social pessimism (Reason at Its Limit, 1945, and others).
Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M .: Soviet encyclopedia. Ch. edited by L. F. Ilyichev, P. N. Fedoseev, S. M. Kovalyov, V. G. Panov. 1983.
Compositions: The works, v. 1-28, L., 1924-27; in Russian lane - Collected. cit., t. 1-15, M., 1964; Foresight about the impact of the progress of mechanics and science on humans. life and thought, M., 1902; Modern utopian. M., 1916; A Brief History of Humanity, M.-L., 1924,
Literature: Kagarlitsky Y., HG Wells, M., 1963.
English writer
Wells, Herbert George (1866-1946), English writer. Born September 21, 1866 in Bromley, a suburb of London. His father was a shopkeeper and professional cricketer, his mother was a housekeeper. Educated at the classical school Midhurst and King's College, University of London. After apprenticeship with a manufactory merchant and working in a pharmacy, he was a teacher at a school, a teacher of exact sciences and an assistant with T.H. Huxley, in 1893 he became a professional journalist.
Throughout his creative life (from 1895) Wells wrote approx. 40 novels and many volumes of stories, more than a dozen polemical works on philosophical issues and about the same number of works on the restructuring of society, two world histories, about 30 volumes with political and social forecasts, more than 30 brochures on topics about Fabian society, armament, nationalism, universal the world, etc., 3 books for children and an autobiography.
His first attempt at an artistic genre was the novel The Time Machine (1895) - about the journey of an inventor into the distant future. This was followed by The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds, 1898, The First Men in the Moon , 1901), telling, respectively, about the transplantation of human organs to wild animals, about invisibility, the invasion of the Martians on earth and the journey to the moon. These novels have earned the writer the fame of the most significant experimenter in the genre of science fiction and showed his ability to make the most daring fiction believable. Subsequently, in works of this kind, for example in the novel The World Set Free (1914), he combined scientific reliability with political predictions about the coming world state. The thesis of a science capable of creating a world state in which a person can reasonably use his inventions is enthusiastically repeated in all of Wells's books, but his optimism, until then boundless, was crushed by the Second World War, after which he gave free rein to despair in the book Reason on the edge of his taut bridle (Mind at the End of Its Tether, 1945) predicted the extinction of mankind.
In his more "literary" works, the writer demonstrates an extraordinary talent for portraying characters and plotting, spices up the narration with humor, but sometimes the plot is replaced by discussions about science, lectures on all conceivable and inconceivable subjects, responses to topical events, so that, in his own assessment only a few of his writings contain ingredients that guarantee their longevity; these include Love and Mr. Lewisham (1900), Kipps (1905), Ann Veronica (1909), Tono-Bungay (1909), The Story of Mr. Polly (The History of Mr. Polly, 1910), The New Machiavelli (1911), The Research Magnificent, 1915, Mr. Britling Sees It Through (1916), Joan and Peter 1918), The World of William Clissold (1926), all of them are autobiographical to one degree or another. Wells admitted that the only book that spells out the most essential ideas of his life is What Are We Doing With Our Lives? (What Are We to Do With Our Lives? 1931), and considered Labor, wealth and happiness of the human race to be his most important work (The Work, Wealth, and Happiness of Mankind, 1932). However, he made his way to wide readership thanks to the book Outline of History (The Outline of History, 1920), which remained on the bestseller lists for many years.
Wells lived in London and the Riviera, lectured frequently and traveled widely, and was married twice.
Used materials from the site http://www.krugosvet.ru/articles/50/1005081/1005081a1.htm
"Kremlin dreamer".
Photo from the sitehttp://75.tatenergo.com/history1920_1930.html
Chronicle of life and work
Born September 21, 1866 in Bromley, a suburb of London. His father was a shopkeeper and professional cricketer, his mother was a housekeeper.
1880-1883 - lives in Windsor and the South Sea.
1884-1888 - Wells studies at South Kensington College, University of London.
1888 Wells publishes the short story The Chronic Argonauts, the first draft of The Time Machine.
1888-1891 - Wells works as a teacher in private schools.
1891 - Receives two degrees in biology. In the same year he moved to London, where he married his cousin Isabelle.
1891-1893 - Continues a career as a professor at the College of Correspondence.
1893 - Wells's textbooks on biology and physiography are published. He soon left his job in college and began to professionally engage in journalism - regularly writes newspaper essays, collected later in the book "Selected conversations with an uncle" (Select conversation of an uncle, 1895).
1895 - The Time Machine is published, about an inventor's journey into the distant future. This novel begins the history of 20th century science fiction. Unlike Jules Verne, who sought to put ordinary people in unusual situations and not deviate from the truth of fact in any way, Wells creates fantastic images of Morlocks, Eloi, and later Martians, Selenites, etc. if Jules Verne depicts apparatuses and machines built on the basis of already well-known Newtonian principles, Wells relies on new natural-scientific concepts, introduces Darwinian biology into fiction, which has significantly supplanted the exclusively technical fiction of Jules Verne. The scientific source for Wells was the work of T.G. Huxley, non-Euclidean geometry, some physical hypotheses, and literary sources - J. Swift, Voltaire, American and German romantics. In the same year, Wells, leaving his wife, married one of his students, Amy Catherine.
1896 - The Island of Dr. Moreau, a novel about the transplantation of human organs to wild animals, and Wheels of Chance.
1897 - The novel The Invisible Man, directed against both bourgeois inertia and against the Nietzschean "superman", tells the story of a scientist who used his discovery to establish a personal dictatorship.
1898 - The War of the Worlds novel about the invasion of the earth by the Martians.
1899 - the novel "When the Sleeper Wakes" (When the Sleeper Wakes) - scenes of the revolution in the XXI century.
1900 - the novel Love and Mr. Lewisham about the collapse of the hopes of a young scientist who is forced to sacrifice science for the sake of a device in life.
1901 - The First Men in the Moon, a novel about the voyage to the moon, which satirically depicts a Selenite society based on an extreme division of labor.
1904 - The Food of the Gods novel, which expresses the hope that the colossal intellectual and spiritual growth of humanity will increase the scale of human affairs.
1905 - "Kipps" (Kipps) - a novel about the customs of the English bourgeoisie and the essay "Modern Utopia" (A Modern Utopia) - a project of rebuilding the world.
1906 - the novel "In the Days of the Comet", which tells about the moral transformation of the world under the influence of the gas left in the earth's atmosphere by the tail of a passing comet. It's a household romance with some fantastic element.
1908 - The War in the Air novel, written in the spirit of Jules Verne.
1909 - a novel dedicated to the emancipation of women - Ann Veronica and the most significant of the non-fiction novels Tono-Bungay - an attempt to restore in relation to England of the XX century. the Balzac tradition; Wells describes here the history of the rise and fall of the nouveau riche, attempting to provide a "cross-section" of English society as a whole.
1910 - The History of Mr. Polly is a humorous picture of the mores of English society.
1911 - The New Machiavell.
1914 - The World Set Free is published, in which Wells combines scientific credibility with political predictions about the coming world state. He believes in science, capable of creating a world state in which man can intelligently use his inventions, is repeated with enthusiasm in all of Wells's books. The novel is devoid of a fantastic element.
In the same year, Wells visits Russia for the first time.
1915 - The Research Magnificent.
1916 - anti-war novel Mr. Britling Sees It Through.
1918 - "Joan and Peter" (Joan and Peter).
1920 - The Outline of History is published and has remained on bestseller lists for many years. Wells visits Russia for the second time and meets with V. Lenin. The result is the book Russia in Shadows.
1923 - Enlightenment utopia in the form of Men likes Gods.
1926 - novel-treatise "The World of William Clissold" (The World of William Clissold).
1927 - the novel "On the Eve" (Meanwhile) is published, starting with which Wells takes an active anti-fascist position.
1930 - The Autocracy of Mr. Parham, which tells the story of an imaginary fascist coup in England.
1931 - The only book, according to Wells, is published, in which the most significant ideas of his life are declared - "What are we doing with our lives?" (What Are We to Do With Our Lives?) And The Work, Wealth, and Happiness of Mankind.
1933 Wells is elected President of the PEN Club.
1936 - The Croquet player is published, directed against the policy of non-intervention in the Spanish war.
1945 - Mind at the End of Its Tether, in which Wells predicts the extinction of humanity.
Used chronology from the site http://litera.edu.ru/catalog.asp?ob_no=14367&cat_ob_no=13898
H.G. Wells with Fyodor Chaliapin and Maxim Gorky.
Read on:
Wells, Herbert George. ...
THEM. Maisky to H. Wells. Chesham House, January 26, 1927
THEM. Maisky to H. Wells. August 26, 1930
H. Wells - I.M. Maisky. September 5, 1930
THEM. Maisky to H. Wells. September 27, 1930
I.V. Stalin. Conversation with the English writer Wells, July 23, 1934. Compositions. Volume 14.
Compositions:
Anna-Veronica. (1909) Novel
Armageddon. (1901) Story
Butterfly. (1895) Story
Bilby. (1915) Novel
God is dynamo. (1894) Fant. story
God is the invisible king. (1917) Story
Balington Blepsky. (1932) Novel
In the abyss. (1896) Fant. story
In the days of the comet. (1906) Fant. novel
At the Avu Observatory. (1894) Fant. story
Visions of the Last Judgment. (1905)
War in the air. (1908) Fant. novel
A war that will end wars. (1914) Book
War of the Worlds. (1898) Science Fant. novel
Magic shop. (1902) Fant. story
The days to come. The story
The door is in the wall. [The gate in the wall] (1911) Fant. story
Valley of the spiders. (1903) Fant. story
The soul of the bishop. (1917) Story
The woman of the sea. [The Sea Maiden] (1902) Fant. novel
Star. (1897) Fant. story
Star birth. (1937) Fant. novel
Earthly armadillos. (1903) Fant. story
Croquet player. (1936) Story
Harringay's temptation. (1895) Fant. story
History of the twentieth century. (1886-87) Fant. story
The story of Mr. Polci. (1910) Novel
Plattner's story. (1896)
The story of the late Mr. Elvesham. (1896)
Kipps. (1905) Novel
When the sleeper wakes up. [The sleeper wakes up; Sleep and awakening of Mr. Graham; After a Rain on Thursday] (1899) Fant. novel
Wheels of Fortune. (1896) Novel
A brief outline of history. (1922)
Legal conspiracy. (1928) Treatise
Love and Mr. Lewisham. (1900) Novel
People are like gods. (1923) Fant. novel
Time Machine. (1895) Science Fant. novel
The World of William Klissold. (1926) Novel treatise
Mr Blettsworthy on Rempol Island. (1928) Novel
Mr. Britling drinks the cup to the bottom. (1916) Novel
Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland. (1902) Fant. story
Sea pirates. (1897) Fant. story
The day before. (1927) Novel
Caution is needed. (1941) Novel
Inexperienced ghost. (1903) Fant. story
Unquenchable fire. (1919)
The newest accelerator. (1901) Fant. story
New worlds instead of old ones. (1908) Treatise
New Machiaveli. novel
The image of the future. (1937) Fant. novel
An autobiography experience. (1934) Book
The liberated world. (1914) Novel
Island of Dr. Moreau. (1896) Fant. novel
Epiornis Island. (1894) Fant. story
Essays on history. (1920)
Spider Valley. (1903) Story
First people on the moon. (1901) Fant. novel
Food of the gods. (1904) Fant. novel
Under the knife. (1896) Fant. story
The kidnapped bacillus. (1894) Fant. story
The Truth About Pycraft. (1902) Fant. story
Foresight. (1901) Treatise
Stone Age story. (1897) Fant. story
Born in the stars. (1937) Novel
Russia in the darkness. (1920) Book
Mr. Parker's autocracy. (1930) Novel
Holy terror. (1937) Novel
Modern utopia. (1905) Novel treatise
Dream. (1924)
Dream of Armageddon. (1901) Fant. story
The land of the blind. (1904)
Creatures that live on Mars. (1908) Article
Tohno Benge. (1909) Novel
The kingdom of ants. (1905) Fant. story
Blooming strange orchid. [Unusual Orchid] (1894) Fant. story
Surprising case with Davidson's eyes. [The Wonderful Case of Davidson's Eyes] (1895)
Filmer. (1901)
Crystal egg. (1897) Fant. story
The man who made diamonds. (1898) Fant. story
A man who knew how to work miracles. [Wonderworker] (1898) Fant. story
Invisible man. (1897) Science Fant. novel
A wonderful visit. (1895) Fant. novel
It was in the Stone Age. The story
Apple. (1896) Fant. story
Literature:
Zamyatin E. H. Wells. (1922).
Romm A.S. H.G. Wells. (1959).
Kagarlitsky Yu.I. H.G. Wells: An Essay on Life and Work. 1963)
Levidova I.M., Parchevskaya B.M. H.J. Wells. Bibliography of Russian translations and critical literature in Russian, 1898-1965. (1966)
Uspensky L. Notes of an old Petersburger. (1970)
Kagarlitskiy Yu.I. Peering into the future. A book about HG Wells. (1989)
Lyubimova A. Problems and poetics of H. Wells' novel of the 1900-1904s. (1990)
Used the list compiled on the site http://publ.lib.ru/
A short biography of H.G. Wells is outlined in this article.
H.G. Wells short biography
Herbert George Wells- English writer and publicist. Author of the famous science fiction novels "The Time Machine", "The Invisible Man", "War of the Worlds" and others. Representative of critical realism. Supporter of Fabian socialism.
Was born September 21, 1866 in Bromley, a suburb of London. His father was a shopkeeper and professional cricketer, his mother was a housekeeper. First he studied at the classical school Midhurst.
Educated at King's College, University of London, graduating in 1888. By 1891 he received two degrees in biology, since 1942 he was a doctor of biology.
After apprenticeship with a manufactory merchant and working in a pharmacy, he was a teacher at a school, a teacher of exact sciences and an assistant to Thomas Huxley. In 1893 he took up journalism professionally.
Wells became famous for his first work, The Time Machine, in 1895. Soon after the publication of this book, Wells wrote the following: "The Island of Dr. Moreau" (1895); The Invisible Man (1897), and his most famous work: The War of the Worlds (1898).
From 1903 to 1909, Wells was a member of the Fabian Society, which advocated caution and gradualism in politics, science, and public life.
Wells lived mainly in France between 1924 and 1933. From 1934 to 1946 he was the international president of the PEN.
Wells lived in London and the Riviera, lectured frequently and traveled extensively.
He was married twice: from 1891 to 1895. on Isabella Mary Wells (divorced), and from 1895 to 1928. - on Amy Catherine Wells (nee Robbins, died of cancer). In the second marriage, two sons were born.
In 1920, Wells met Maria Ignatievna Zakrevskaya-Budberg (there is reason to consider her an agent of the NKVD), who became his mistress. Communication resumed in 1933 in London, where she emigrated after parting with Gorky. M. Budberg's close relationship with Wells continued until the writer's death, he asked her to marry him, but she resolutely rejected this offer.
Wells died August 13, 1946 in his home on Hanover Terrace from complications against the background of severe metabolic problems.
Herbert George Wells is an English writer and publicist, researcher, doctor of biological sciences, politician and supporter of social and scientific trends. Representative of the methods and theory of Marxism called Critical Realism. For a long period of time he was a supporter of the socio-economic trend - Fabianism. A prose writer and author of novels, he preferred to publish science and science fiction literature. Wrote the famous War of the Worlds.
Childhood and youth
Born in the UK, London borough of Bromley, in the fall - September 21, 1866. H.G. Wells's parents were also interesting people, dad Joseph Wells owned a shop and was engaged in the sale of products, figurines and porcelain objects that were on sale at that time. Mom is a housekeeper in a mansion of strict owners.
Portrait of H.G. Wells
Despite the family's best efforts, cricket was the main source of income. His father was a good gamer, so he turned his hobby into a living. Professional skills in cricket and father's desire to win worked for the whole family.
At the age of eight, there was a turning point in the boy's life, both literally and figuratively. When, through negligence, he broke his leg, the doctors prescribed him bed rest. It took a long time not to leave the room, only books saved from boredom. Therefore, he was so interested in the sci-fi style of writing books and literature.
After some time, he became a student of Mr Thomas Morley's commercial academy. Herbert George Wells was supposed to study to be a merchant, however, by a terrible coincidence, the only breadwinner in the family broke his hip. Cricket was over, it was quite difficult for his father to recover from his illness and at first even move independently.
From the age of 13, the guy began an independent life, he began to earn a living himself. An irresistible desire to improve, to be better, to know more, independence and hard work led him to the threshold of college from the University of London. Already in 1888, at the age of 22, the guy received a diploma of education.
Literature
The young man was attracted by books and literature, so his life path was very diverse. At the beginning he studied trade skills, then worked in a pharmacy as a pharmacist, taught in schools and various educational institutions. He also earned recognition from the famous zoologist, defender of animal rights and ecology, as he was his assistant and "right hand". H.G. Wells was a versatile person, traveled extensively and his knowledge base was constantly growing.
The literature of this man was so popular and entertaining that, according to numerous requests and recommendations, it was translated into 17 languages.
The Time Machine is considered the first novel in the writer's work. The work was written in 1895. In those days, it was fashionable to read science fiction, so the book about what the inventor is in the future, how he behaved and what he thought about, fell in love with readers of all ages.
The merit was that after some time he was elected president of the non-political club for protection in matters of assistance and cooperation to writers and poets. Uniting with like-minded people, brothers "by word", expressing his opinion and point of view showed him in which direction to move on.
I had 6 years of practice in the Fabian society behind my shoulders. After that, the source of his income and his main occupation was giving lectures and seminars. Since 1903, Wells's main goal has been to educate people that in politics, science and creativity, plan and gradualness are needed, no spontaneity.
In the 1890s, he became interested in journalism and publishing. Creativity was an important period in life, which biography speaks of today.
It is worth noting that the prose writer has a significant publishing past, because not everyone in those days managed to write about 40 short stories and stories in 30 volumes in just half a century, not counting novels, essays and essays. Works about the political situation, the economic situation, sociology, etc. were popular. Famous creations include children's books and an autobiography.
Many years later, they took an example from him, developed topics that were touched upon by him earlier, studied writing styles and all the nuances of authorship. Few people know that long before the hypotheses put forward by other researchers in this area, Herbert made a huge scientific breakthrough.
Using his knowledge and capabilities, the scientist found application of science in literary publications. The point is that a very controversial issue of four-dimensional space was raised by him in the previously mentioned creation "Time Machine".
Wells Jr. had a socialist outlook, and although he used Marxism in some way, he was neutral and even skeptical of this trend. He expressed his point of view on this matter soon in one of his works, which spoke about what his new plan for organizing actions in society and the team was.
This man chose the right approach to the environment, his acquaintance with a then unknown political figure changed the development of further events. Even then, questions began to arise in his society due to the sudden support of Churchill and his political campaign in such a difficult period for the Fabians.
The Englishman was considered a truly pacifist, and violence, physical and moral, caused him complete disgust. However, despite such outlooks in life, he did not stand in the way of the British war and provided assistance.
After the revolution, the writer came to Russia, became a guest in the house and met with the leader of the peoples -. Then the work of 1920 was written - "Russia in the darkness".
In 1898, work took place to describe military operations using modern technologies, dangerous gases, technology and quantum sources. The retold "War in the Air" and "The Atomic Bomb" were among the works that found the most recognition from readers.
His supporters were surprised by another story called "The Kingdom of the Ants", written in 1905. It described the system of the subconscious and civilization of ants as the smartest insects.
Since H.G. Wells was still related to the scientific field, he used the terminology of physics as the main idea of the work. The category where parallel worlds were touched upon included several stories and books. Successful books - "The Invisible Man" and "The Newest Accelerator".
Personal life
The twice-married writer did not find peace with his first wife - 1891 - Mary Wells, nor with Amy Catherine - 1895, who died in terrible agony after being diagnosed with Cancer.
Later, another girl, Maria Ignatievna Budberg, won the heart of a publicist. Despite numerous requests and persuasions, the woman neglected Herbert's proposal until his death. From his second marriage, the writer had two sons, the heir to Philip and Richard.
Memory
Based on the prose writer, more than ten films have been filmed in London and even Russian cinematography. From 1919 to 2010, films continued to be made, where the works of H.G. Wells became the basis of the script. 1977 was a striking example of this. At that time, 2 films were released. The most popular was called "The Islands of Dr. Moreau" by director More Taylor.
In 1976 and 1989, the screenwriters presented the premieres of two ingenious films, Food of the Gods.
This list was joined by:
- 1919 - "The First People on the Moon", directed by B. Gordon
- 1932 - Isle of Lost Souls, directed by Earl Canton
- 1933 - The Invisible Man, directed by James Whale
- 1936 - The Face of Things to Come, directed by William Cameron Menzies
- 1953 - "War of the Worlds" by Byron Haskin
- 1960 - "Time Machine" by George Pal
- 1964 - "First Men on the Moon" by Nathan Juran
- 2010 - "First Men on the Moon", by Mark Gaitiss
English writer, publicist Herbert George Wells was born on September 21, 1866, died on August 13, 1946. Known not only for books written in the genre of science fiction, but also for works about ordinary people and their problems. Wrote 40 novels, a huge number of stories spanning several volumes, philosophical works, books for children.
Parents
Father and mother worked as a servant on a wealthy estate. They later acquired a small china shop that did not generate income. The family lived primarily on money earned by Wells the elder as a professional croquet player.
Young years
From childhood he loved to read. This was facilitated by a broken leg, which he was "lucky" to get at the age of 8. In 1874 he entered the Commercial Academy. His father dreamed that his son would become a businessman. However, the young man did not have a chance to complete the course. .
The head of the family broke a rib and had to part with the game of croquet, and with it, and with education. At thirteen, Herbert made his own living as a delivery boy in a pharmacy. Only the desire to work as a teacher forced him to continue his studies, and he worked hard to prepare for college exams.
At London College, Herbert became interested in biology, anatomy and physiology. In 1891, he already had several degrees in biology. In 1893 he became a professional journalist. At the same time he wrote his first books.
Personal life
Wells has been married twice. The first wife is Isabella, with her he lived for four years, after which they divorced. The second wife, Amy Catherine, with whom he lived for more than 30 years, died of cancer. His third and last love was Maria Zakrevskaya-Budberg, an emigrant from Russia. With Maria, he lived in a civil marriage until his death.
Death
While still a student at London College, Wells contracted tuberculosis. Against this background, he had health problems. The writer had a stroke several times. He died of an improper metabolism. His sons, according to their father's will, cremated the remains and scattered the ashes over the Channel.
Some of the advances in science that Wells predicted in his writings
- Radioactive substances ... For the first time this topic sounded in the book.
- Bacteriological weapon ... In the novel, the aliens were killed by simple bacteria. Indeed, scientists and the military have worked on developments in this area.
- Gas attacks and heat (laser) beams ... It is written about them in.
- The invention of the atomic bomb ... In the work, the author suggested that scientists can split the atom, which, unfortunately, happened.
