Nice article on Verne and the French tradition of science fiction in the Guardian.
It is amazing that French sf has become synonymous with a few Verne novels, when it got off to such a great start as evidenced by the landmark 1789 collection in 38 volumes “Voyages imaginaires, romanesques, merveilleux, allégoriques, amusans, comiques et critiques” which included journeys to the earth’s center (Nicolas Klimius), to the moon (Voyage de Cyrano de Bergerac dans les Empires de la Lune et de Soleil), in outer space (Milord Ceton dans les Sept Planetes) and Voltaire’s Micromegas about a visitor from a distant planet. It also included French translations of English classics like Gulliver and Crusoe as well as a French sequel to Gulliver (Son of Gulliver).
