Paris in the Twentieth Century: The Lost Novel

by Jules Verne, Richard Howard

In 1863 Jules Verne, famed author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth, wrote a novel that his literary agent deemed too far fetched to be published. More than one hundred years later, his great-grandson found the handwritten, never-before published manuscript in a safe. That manuscript was Paris in the Twentieth Century, and astonishingly prophetic view into the future by one of the most renowned science fiction writers of our time. . . .

Praise for Paris in the Twentieth Century

“Jules Verne was the Michael Crichton of the 19th century.” — The New York Times

“For anyone interested in the history of speculative fiction . . . this book is an absolute necessity.” —Ray Bradbury

“Verne's Paris is a bustling, overcrowded metropolis teeming with starving homeless and ‘vehicles that passed on paved roads and moved without horses.’ Years before they would be invented, Verne has imagined elevators and faxmachines. It was a vision Verne's editor flatly rejected. Contemporary readers know better.” — People

“An excellent extrapolation, founded on 19th-century technical novelties, of a future culture.” — The Washington Post Book World

“Verne published nearly seventy books, many of them now considered classics. But this little jewel catches him just reaching stride as a writer of science fiction, a genre that he, of course, helped put on the literary map.” — The Denver Post

Genres: Science Fiction, Classics, Fiction, France, Dystopia, French Literature, Literature

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Novels of French writer Jules Gabriel Verne, considered the founder of modern science fiction, include Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873).

This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).

Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...

Reviews

[Luís · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story primarily focuses on the disappearance of poets and novelists who flourished at the end of the 19th century, giving way to creations of technique and science. These creations are accompanied by regret over the loss of texts by Hugo, Dumas, Bossuet, Voltaire, and Latin and Greek authors. This anticipatory novel is not exhilarating, and I understand why Hetzel, who decided not to publish it at the time, lacked interest. Nevertheless, a few touches of humor and some "steampunk" passages add some interest to certain parts. Moreover, we recognize the premises of Jules Verne's pleasure in writing long lists in his descriptions.

[Manny · Rating 2 out of 5]

"But we must warn them! Warn our ancestors!" Michel cried. A fierce light burned in his keen young eyes. "They must not choose the path that leads to... to this!" He spread out his arms to indicate the entire world of 1960: Napoleon V, the great Monopolies that controlled France, England and America, the death of human feeling, of literature, of politics, even of war, that most futile but also most noble of mortal occupations.

The old savant looked at him. "There is a way," he said quietly. "A way that is untried, uncertain... but yet, it may succeed. My researches..." He paused.

"Speak! Speak!" said Michel, seizing the old man's hand. "What is this way?"

"I believe..." The savant paused, weighing his words. "I believe... or at least, I hope... that we can send a message into the past, into the world of 1863. To be precise, we can send a book. One book, no more."

"Then we must write this book!" said Michel. "We must start now! We have no time to lose!"

"Less time than you think, my child," said the savant wearily. "The book must be prepared and sent this very night. Later, and the favorable conjunction of the planets..."

Michel glanced in horror at his electric watch. It already showed 20 hours and some minutes.

"Then... it is hopeless?" he asked in a barely audible voice.

"No!" said his friend. "Not hopeless! I have another invention which may aid us." He cleared his throat, the old professorial manner slowly returning to him. "You will remember that all books are fundamentally alike. There are but seven basic stories..."

Michel tried to remember the single course on literary theory he had taken before the Decree of 1959, abolishing all Faculties of Letters.

"Yes, seven basic stories," continued the savant. His fingers gripped an invisible piece of chalk as he gestured. "Similarly, I have determined that there are but nine characters; eleven scenes; fourteen dialogues. I could go on. But we must proceed from theory to practice. Let me show you my Literary Engine. Come."

Suddenly animated, he strode to a corner of the laboratory and removed a dust-sheet with a theatrical flourish. "In essence," he continued, "it is simplicity itself. You place a suitable selection of books in the feeder here. You adjust these dials to determine the mode of combination, set the pressure of the steam, and the machine does the rest. It borrows a plot from this book, a character from the second, an intrigue from the third - et voilà the new book emerges in the hopper on the right, neatly bound in calfskin! Now, we merely need to choose our - ah - raw materials. You will assist me."

Michel gazed at the old scientist in wonder, then at the vast array of bookcases which covered the whole of one wall. "Exactly!" urged his friend. "Please! Give me your suggestions!"

"Well..." Michel paused, thinking feverishly. "Brave New World, of course. And Boris Vian's L'Ecume des jours. Though, I think, we want less--" He blushed modestly.

"Exactly so, exactly so," murmured the savant, as he bent over a Vernier gauge. "Eroticism at lowest setting. Pray continue."

"I fear for our beloved French language," said Michel. "We must include this volume - the last one, alas! - of the Proceedings of the Académie Française. And poetry. Poetry is essential. I move to add Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris."

"Done!" said his friend, as he carefully put the books into the feeder. "And now..."

Without completing his phrase, he pulled a large lever. Wheels spun; electric lights twinkled in incomprehensible patterns; jets of steam arose from vents on the side of the machine. Twenty minutes later, a piercing whistle was heard, and with a clank the new book was deposited in the hopper. Michel cast himself over it.

"But..." he said, as he leafed through it. "I mean..."

"You are not pleased?" asked his friend anxiously. "I am sure all the elements are there. I chose the settings most carefully."

"But where is Huxley's wit?" asked Michel. "Or Vian's imagination? Where are the learned comments of the Academicians? And where, oh where, is Hugo's poetry?"

"These are imponderable qualities," responded the savant with a slight edge of irritation. "The essential thing is that the result is scientifically correct. Now, I have only to place the book here, and turn this screw, and it will be transported into the past, into the year 1863. You see, it is already done."

"Will it help?" asked Michel, still assailed by doubts. "Will they read it? and understand?"

"Who knows?" replied the savant. "Perhaps it will change history, so that our miserable world will never come to be. Or perhaps it will lie for a century in a strong-box, mouldering and unread. We will never learn its fate. The important thing is that we have tried. Now you must promise me not to return; it would be too dangerous for both of us."

And, clasping Michel in his arms, he bade him a final farewell.

[David Sarkies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jule's Verne's Forgotten Novel
11 September 2011 - London

This is what has been termed as the 'Lost Book of Jules Verne'. The reason it was lost (and nobody actually knew that it existed until it was discovered in a safe in his old house in Paris) is because when he wrote it his publisher basically thought that it was rubbish and refused to publish it. So, like many writers, he simply filed it away for another time, and it was subsequently forgotten, only to be discovered in the late 20th Century. Is it Jules Verne? Well, it is difficult to tell since the version I read is a translation, and it isn't a 'travel narrative' as most of his other books are. However there still seems to be a number of qualities that suggest that it is.

One of the main questions though, is it possible that a modern author wrote it under his name and backdated it? Well, it is always possible, but what one needs to do is to consider what he was writing and the predictions that he made. The book paints a picture of a highly industrialised world, but we don't have concepts of flight nor do we have extensive use of automobiles (other than the Gas Cabs) nor do we have complex computing systems. We do have automated calculators and fax machines, but they were already in existence at the time, albeit in a basic form.

However, it is not the inventions that Verne is trying to paint here, but rather a culture. Sure he describes an extensive canal network that turns Paris into a Seaport, and he also describes huge ships which are pretty much floating islands, however the main context of the book is the social structure of the time. Basically, the story is about a young man who has just completed university, majoring in Latin Verse. However, it is pretty much a dead subject. The only reason he graduated at the top of his class is because he was the only person in the class. Much of the book involves discussions between Michal, his uncle, and one of his professors, who is a professor in Rhetoric, another 'dead' subject.

It is these discussions that actually show Verne's foresight into the modern culture. Art is no longer art and poetry is of no interest to anybody. While this may not be the case, people of the 21st Century have basically lost interest in the literature of previous centuries. Hollywood is pretty much a cookie factory that churns out formulaic movies, and when they do work on something from the past, they tend to heavily modernise it. While people still read books, many of the books that are found on the bookshelves, and what people read on the bus, are what my English teacher termed as Airport Trash. They are mindless books which people read because they don't really want to think about what they are reading. Further, many have turned away from reading and simply rely on television to the point that some will proudly say that they have never read a book in their life.

Verne's Paris is not necessarily like the Paris of today, and the French still seem to put pride in their movies, however it is difficult to say whether they still read books (I was only in Paris for 2 days, though they seem to), nor can I tell whether it is just pulp that they are reading (I can't speak or read French - yet). While the technical manuals that Verne prophesies as being the only books read in his future, and to an extent this is true of today (since the only books many people read are technical manuals, if they chose to read it as opposed to simply putting the items together as is).

[Lydia Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so much I want to talk about when it comes to this book I don't even know where to begin.

Paris in the Twentieth Century is, like all Jules Verne's books, a very detailed, scientific story - technology and advancements take first place, with the story coming second. Don't get me wrong though, I love reading Verne's books - but they are dry reading at times. The overflow of information, not only on technological advancements, but Parisian names and places set my head spinning at times. But, like I do with all of his books, I just let the information flow through and - for the sake of my sanity - do not worry about keeping a grasp on it.

Paris in the Twentieth Century is the story of Michele, a teenage boy who wishes to be a poet. Jules Verne depicts 1960 Paris as a place where art has fallen in favor of science and math. The classics are lost, poets are shunned, musicians are encouraged to write pieces that sound as if you are sitting on a piano keyboard (fascinating in itself to me because.. have your heard some of these modern compositions today?). Michele is a long-haired hippy - he struggles living in a home with no imagination (bankers) and longs for a girl he cannot hope to support as a starving artist.

The real marvel of this book is Verne's description of what was to come in the 20th Century. He wrote this book in 1963 and his publisher rejected it as being too radical. His great-grandson found the book in the 90's and submitted it to be published. Reading the book now, as a historical novel, it's a wonder to me that he stopped at 1960 because what he was describing could easily apply to today.

Verne speaks of machines that transmit via telephony entire facsimile's of pages. He speaks of huge department stores, streets lit up as brightly as the son, hotels that can lodge thousands of people. He speaks of train systems prominent in cities today, he envisioned The Eiffel Tower, only as a brightly light lighthouse standing high in Paris (the tower was built 1887 - 1889 - more than twenty years after Verne wrote this book). He even describes a large ledger detailing the banks calculations and sums that stands high and broadcasts them to the bank.

But Verne does not stop at technology. He describes our apathy toward one another, our rush to get things done instead of slowing down to enjoy life. He talks about what little appreciation we have for the wonders around us and tells a tragic story of what life will be like should we lose all that gives us pleasure, art, music, poetry included in these losses.

This book was not a huge investment of time. It's barely 200 pages long. The chapters are short and manageable. Even if you are not a science fiction fan, I encourage you to check it out and to hopefully experience the feeling of wonder I felt as I read about things predicted by a man who must have been a real thrill to speak to.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit of a slog; I had a hard time staying focused. The plot is very minimal, and the theme of the arts being abandoned in favor of science is repeated over and over again. The book was written in the 1860's (though it wasn't published until the 1990's), and is a dystopian look at the world of the 1960's. There are seemingly endless lists of names, very few of which I was familiar, and lengthy philosophical discussions with little actually happening. Verne's vision of the future is accurate in some respects (cities divided into different sections for housing and business), but not even close in most (no more war due to economic interest, as one example.) It's a bleak and depressing and hopeless slow story, though it was entertaining to analyze the futuristic aspect.

[Kamakana · Rating 4 out of 5]

210125: have to up the rating from three, as it persists in melancholy way. this is not Jules Verne as science fiction/engineering celebrant but more about unquantifiable loss of arts and humanities in world dedicated to rule of the machine. short book, quaint, querulous, quick. can certainly see how this is not one of his 'extraordinary adventures' and would not get many readers then (1863) or even when it was found and published (1994). interesting view of how those times imagined our times...

[Ehsan'Shokraie' · Rating 2 out of 5]

رابطه ابتذال با صنعتی شدن زندگی چیست؟اگر انسان را موجودی دارای چند سطح احساس و تفکر بدانیم،صنعتی شدن زندگی عصر حاضر سبب شده زندگی ما در دوندگی مداوم و نبرد با زمان هر روزه بگذرد،همه چیز ساخته شده تا در کوتاه ترین زمان به آنچه نیاز داریم دست پیدا کنیم،متناقض اما همیشه از کمبود وقت رنج میبریم.در این همهمه ی زندگی انسان آنچنان در عجله به سرمیبرد که فرصتی برای زندگی‌کردن،برای تفکر و آگاهی باقی نمی ماند..از این رو در موسیقی،ادبیات..سینما.‌.انسان دیگر تاب و تحمل ندارد‌‌.وقت‌نمی گذارد..نمیخواهد برای رسیدن به چیزی سختی بکشد..همه چیز را آماده و سریع می خواهد،تا که به سفر پر عجله و خطیر خود که البته سرانجام خاصی هم ندارد ادامه دهد..تمام اینها به ابتذال و احساسات بدوی می گراید،چشمان و فکر مان نیاز به غنی شدن دارند..نیاز به تعمق و تادب..افسوس که انسان تنها بنده لذت سهل الوصول خود است،می پندارد زندگی می کند،حال که مرده است.
پاریس در قرن بیستم اثر چاپ نشده ای از ژول ورن است،که به علت ضعف هایش در زمان حیات نویسنده منتشر نشد و سپس فراموش شد،امروز که آن را می خوانیم مفهوم و ایده آن در ابتذال زندگی صنعتی و ماشینی چنان درخشان است که مانند بسیاری ار نوشته های او خواننده را متحیر می سازد،هرچند شاید شخصیت پردازی و روایت داستان ضعف های جدی نسبت به سایر آثار ژول ورن دارد،ایده،تخیل و آینده نگری  همچنان ژول ورن شگفت انگیز است.

در بررسی ژول ورن همین بس که چطور یک انسان می تواند به گوی بلوریین مه گرفته زمان،زمانی که ما در حال و گذشته اش سردرگم نبرد با افکارمان هستیم،بنگرد و تصویر آینده را به روشنی از میان ابرها ببیند

[Ed Erwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.

Verne is known for stories of adventure. There is absolutely no adventure here. Just descriptions of 1960's Paris as imagined by Verne in 1860's. Written before he became popular, and not published in his lifetime. Many call this work pessimistic. I'd call it curmudgeonly. Though he was young when writing, it feels like something an old man would write complaining about how nobody reads the classics anymore and music and culture are all going downhill.

He has the main character walk through a collection of books as an excuse to list all the great French authors who aren't read anymore. Then listen to a guy playing on piano as an excuse to list all the great French music nobody listens to anymore. Then work briefly in a theater as an excuse to mention all the great French play-writers that have fallen from favor. Then walk through a cemetery to mention all the dead French people he hadn't had a chance to mention yet.

Seriously, not so much a story as it is list after list of names!

Verne seems to be extrapolating from his difficulty finding a way to make a living in the arts by imaging a future where the only arts that people care about are about science and machines. Interesting that he himself later became famous for writing about science and machines!

I did enjoy the chapter on music. Verne extrapolates from Wagner and Richard Strauss to imagine that the music of 1960's would sound like random sounds thrown together without regard for harmony. For "serious" music of the 1960's, that isn't too far wrong!

Other "predictions" are the usual odd mixture of prescient and way-off-base. Apparently the city center would be given over to business and government while people move to one-room apartments in high-rises around the city. True enough. Apparently financial ties between nations was going to prevent war, at least in Europe in the 20th century. Nope!

[Toby · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I was in the habit of rating books on their historical significance then this would get much more than two stars, as it is however I was less than thrilled by reading 150 year old dry science fiction. I was more thrilled by the idea that something like this lost novel could exist. Of course many other people were too and so you get many historical novels that basically work as fan fiction for Dickens and Poe etc.

I found it incredible that Verne could be so prescient back in 1863 but beyond that I was quite bored.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

2'7

[Ints · Rating 1 out of 5]

Parīzē rit divdesmitā gadsimta sešdesmitie gadi. Sabiedriskais transports ir absolūti efektīvs, daļu slodzes paņem plānveidīgi izstrādāti pneimatiskā vilciena maršruti, bagātākie cilvēki brauc ar viena zirgspēka jaudas automobiļiem, ostās pienāk milzu kuģi. Pat Parīze ir kļuvusi par ostas pilsētu. Liekas, ka cilvēcei tehnoloģiskais progress ir nesis tikai labumu, bet tā vis nav, ir kāda cilvēces mantojuma daļa, kuru tehnoloģijas ir praktiski iznīcinājuši. Humanitārās zinātnes kā tādas vairs nepastāv, mākslinieki, literāti un muzikanti ir kļuvuši nepieprasīti un nevajadzīgi.

Runājot godīgi, grāmata ir totāls mēsls. Pirmie kucēni ir jāslīcina, un arī šis bija noslīcināts. Verna izdevējs šo grāmatu bija atteicies publicēt un pareizi darīja. Bet pēc kāda laika autora mantiniekiem šķita laba ideja nopelnīt vēl kādu kapeiku papildus, un grāmata ieraudzīja pasauli. Kā tad te ir ar futūristiku? Nekā! Autors tiražē tās pašas idejas, kas tikai apspriestas grāmatas sarakstīšanas laikā. Visa industrija darbojas uz saspiestu gaisu, datoru vietā strādā Paskāla teorētiskie mehānismi, par kosmosa kuģiem neko netiku lasījis, apgaismojumu dod dzīvsudraba lampas.

Visi šie nākotnes redzējumi ir visnotaļ shematiski un nebūt neaizņem grāmatā nopietnu daļu. Lielākā grāmatas daļa tiek aizvadīta, reflektējot uz aizgājušajiem Francijas laikiem. Tiem, kad mākslinieki bija cieņā un rakstniekus lasīja. Un kā nu sagadījies, kā ne, šie laiki ir bijuši pirms Žila Verna laikiem. Tad nu mēs esam spiesti lasīt veselu nodaļu, kurā tiek uzskaitīti franču klasiķi. Tad ir nodaļa, kurā varoņi gremdējas aizgājušo laiku mūzikā. Labi, ka tas viss notika uz kombinētās iekārtas klavieres, gulta, galds fona, citādi būtu ļoti, ļoti garlaicīgi. Bez sarunām viņu dzīves izskaistina apkampieni, kuri tiek veikti sastopoties izrādot īstu vīru draudzību.

Grāmatas galvenais varonis Mišels ir savam laikmetam neraksturīgs cilvēks, viņu velk uz dzeju, interesē vecie rakstnieki un mūzika. Jaunajā pasaulē tādiem īsti nav, ko darīt. Laikmetā, kur cilvēki dzejas vietā lasa monogrāfijas par berzes novēršanas tehnoloģijām un pneimatisko vārstu īpatnībām, tādām lietām nav noieta. Cilvēki ir kļuvuši racionāli, un ar niekiem vairs nenodarbojas. Mišelam ir deviņpadsmit gadu, un viņa liktenis jau no sākta gala ir izlemts. Taču lasītājam nevajag sabēdāties, Mišels nav tas tēls, kuram var ieķerties, autoram viņš ir tikai kā skaļrunis, ar kura palīdzību izplūst garos pašmērķīgos dialogos un monologos. Vēlme apgaroti izteikties piemīt arī visiem pārējiem grāmatas personāžiem. Vienīgā Mišela odziņa ir tā, ka viņu nedaudz velk uz jauniem meitiešiem, viņa mīļotajai ir veseli piecpadsmit gadi, un viņš viņu būtu gatavs precēt.

Bet visādi citādi Mišels, neskatoties uz savu dzejnieka dvēseli, vismaz autors uzskata, ka viņam tāda ir, ir vienkāršs cilvēks, kuram rokas aug no pakaļas. Viņam nav nekādas nojausmas par to, ko nozīmē pelnīt sev maizi. Nav jau arī nekāds brīnums, visu mūžu viņu ir audzinājis tēvocis baņķieris. Par to Mišels mīl nicīgi izteikties un uzskatīt viņa ģimeni par aprobežotiem tumsoņām. Bet nepateicība jau ir pasaules alga.

Grāmata ir pelnījusi 2 no 10 ballēm. Viņas vienīgais plussir tās mazais lapaspušu skaits. Reti kad ir gadījies lasīt tik garlaicīgu grāmatu par tehnogēno nākotni. Pat mūsdienu stīmpanka žanra grāmatās pasaules ir pārdomātākas un interesantākas par šo Žila Verna kunkstēšanu par kultūras izzušanu. Pie tam problēma ir izzīsta no pirksta un ieviesta tikai tādēļ, lai nebūtu jānodarbojas ar futuroloģiju, bet tā vietā varētu izrādīts savas zināšanas par sava laikmeta kultūras sasniegumiem.

[Gregg Wingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Jules Verne as a twelve year old and it was one of my first introductions to science fiction. What I did not know was that the translations of his work into English had been done specifically to facilitate the marketing of his materials as juvenile literature. Since the 1960s new translations have been issued more truly reflecting the language of one of France's most popular novelists in the 19th century. However, Verne was not limited solely by his English language publishers by also by his long-term French editor and publisher who refused to publish "Paris in the Twentieth Century" due to its dystopian perspective. It was not until the manuscript's discovery, publication, and, English translation in the mid-1990s that we would have access to his vision.

Written in 1863 and set in the 1960s the novel speaks strongly to our Postmodernity, a world where Modernism and Capitalism dominate over the Arts and the Humanities:

"'How are the humanities going?'

'They're going...away,' the old professor replied. 'I have only three students left in my rhetoric class. It's a turpe decadence! Soon they'll be getting rid of us, and with good reason.'

"Getting rid of you!' Michel exclaimed.

'Can it really have come to that?' asked Uncle Huguenin.

'Really and truly,' Monsieur Richelot replied. 'Rumor has it that the Literature professorships, by virtue of a decision taken in the General Assembly of the Stockholders, will be suppressed for the program of 1962.'"

The passage reminded me very much of Allan Bloom's thoughts in "The Closing of the American Mind" and, quite frankly, way too many discussions with university administrators and the political rhetoric regarding the American student loan system.

Verne also anticipates globalization and the French fear that this will equal Americanization of society and its members:

"'The caressing manner of the Parsienne, her alluring figure, her witty and tender glances, her firm yet precise embonpoint soon gave way to certain long, lean, skinny, arid, fleshless, emaciated forms, to a mechanical, methodical, puritanical unconcern. The waist flattened, the glance austerified, the joints stiffened; a stiff hard nose lowered over narrowed lips; the stride grew longer; the Angel of Geometry, formerly so lavish with his most alluring curves, delivered woman up to all the rigors of straight lines and acute angles. The Frenchwoman has become Americanized; she speaks seriously about serious matters. she takes life seriously. she rides on the rigid saddle of modern manners, dresses poorly, tastelessly....subsequently they have switched gender and no longer deserve the artist's gaze or the lover's attention!'"

The passage captures the sterility of radical feminism and yet also encloses heroin chic, dietary diseases, enslavement to the exercise regime and the decline of romance and its replacement with objectification and, as Bloom also pointed out, the hypocrisy and erotic-sterility of commoditized culture. It is as though our quest for equality has left us with two desert extremes and a glittering wasteland in between, a global nightmare like Dubai in our personal relationships.

Overall, Verne leaves us with a haunting vision of a world we have been wandering lost in for the last half-century. Read it for the reverberations it will generate within.

[Rui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I heard there was a "lost" Verne novel only published over one hundred years after it was originally written I wanted to read "Paris in The XX Century". Recently, thanks to miss Ana C. Nunes, who was kind enough to borrow me her audio-book I had the chance of knowing this work. 
 
And it surprised me very much. I thought I knew Verne well, I thought I knew what to expect from one of his "science novels", I was absolutely mistaken. 
 
Unlike all of the other books with scientific developments nearly unimaginable in the mid 19th century, when he wrote about them, this takes a very grim and pessimistic view of what technological advancements would create in the world. 
 
In fact, after reading this, I began reconsidering what I thought I knew about his other works and the way I read them. It is true that in his latter stories he began to have a grimmer outlook towards technology and science, but still I always thought that was due to old age and disappointment... now, as this was one of his earlier works, that got quite vehemently rejected, I wonder if the man, in the later days of his life, finally gathered the courage to write again what he really believed. I never gave much notice to the slight touches of irony or hints of scorn that punctuated his scientific, more optimistic, books but now that I think of it...they are there... the Nautilus is hardly a benign machine, the flying machine in "Robur: The Conqueror", as well, the technology in the little known "The Carpathian Castle" is used to not so nice ends, "From The Earth to The Moon" began with the idea of shooting the satellite, not with the idea of exploring it...and so on... these are all amazing things, but not, necessarily good. 
 
Paris in the 20th century gives us the story of Michelle a young boy (and a bit of a ninnie,  that much is true) who wanted to be an artist in world with no place for art. 
 
It is, strangely a bit too melodramatic for Verne and, to be honest, I can't quite criticise the editor for refusing this novel, but when seen in hindsight it is an absolutely amazing work of scientific speculation. Nearly all of his visions of the 20th century became true in one way or another, and we could argue that a pessimistic person living in our day and age might very well say that he also predicted most of the social consequences of the way technology developed. If only he had been right about war, though...this would be a slightly better world than it is... 
 
But still, for all it does and all it sees, "Paris In The XX Century" has to be one of the most amazing works of Verne, even though, arguably, not one of the best plotted.

[Gwynplaine26th · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volumetto che come al solito strizza l'occhio all'universo steampunk, dove i treni circolano per Parigi del futuro con la combinazione di levitazione magnetica e aria compressa.

Stavolta però si ha tra le mani un testo permeato da da un'insolita visione pessimistica del progresso tecnologico, correlato dall'amaro sapore dell'opera incompiuta, una percezione che guasta un po' la lettura del lettore vorace.

Anche se non lo ritengo il migliore Verne che abbia mai letto, è un testo formidabile: scritto nel 1863 e scoperto nel 1994, presagisce l'avvento di reti metropolitane, grattacieli e persino della sedia elettrica.

Quel visionnaire!

[Bilge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yirminci Yüzyılda Paris Jule Verne'in çok beğendiklerim listesine giren bir bilim kurgu romanı oldu. Roman teknolojinin gelişip her yerde kullanılmasıyla baş etmekte zorlanan Michele'in başarısızlıklarla dolu hayatını bir distopya olarak anlatıyor. Anlatılan dünyada teknolojinin gelişimi, kültürel anlamda da gerilemeye sebep oluyor. Kitabın bir çok noktasında teknolojiye ve gelişimine kendini kaptırmış insanların görüşlerinde kendi sığ fikirlerimi bolca yakaladım ve Jule Verne'in bunu bana gösteriş şeklini çok ama çok başarılı buldum.

[Edgar Trevizo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asombrosamente preciso y por ello mismo cruel y doloroso. Aunque en suma no puedo considerarla una gran novela, sí puedo respetar la ironía que elabora en sus páginas y la visión siempre acertada de Verne sobre el futuro. El final es patético y desesperado. Es también apresurado y de tono distinto al del resto de la novela, lo que afecta al conjunto. Pero aun así es de recomendable lectura.

[Roger Burk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verne wrote this science fiction novel of the future early in his career, but was told it could not sell so it lay hidden for over 100 years. Verne foresees a future of technological progress in which art and literature have almost died and bourgeois entrepreneurship and business have taken over society. Strangely for the ur-scifi writer, he disdains all the progress is science and engineering, focusing on the cultural loss. The characters and plot are engaging enough, but it's also fun to see what he got right and wrong about Paris in 1960:

RIGHT (mostly): Literacy is universal. A clean, quiet, efficient Metro system (elevated, and running on compressed air) serves a greatly enlarged Paris. Electricity is in every home and provides street lighting. The streets are filled with (mostly) horseless carriages with steering wheels and brake pedals, powered by internal combustion engines. A network of stations provides their fuel (hydrogen). People wear clothes of synthetic material (spun metal--the downside is that it rusts). Calculations are done by (mechanical) machines. Faxes are transmitted by wire. Canals cross Suez and Panama. The Parisian air is polluted by all the factory chimneys.

AMUSINGLY WRONG: Napoleon V reigns. So does peace; there is no politics to speak of, since everyone is so involved in business. Wars became ridiculous when fighting machines became too large, so most countries have disbanded their armies. The big trucks in Paris deploy as much as 30 horsepower, but all vehicles are prohibited in the city after 10:00 AM. The wealthy are still served by liveried servants, and their adult sons must do what they're told or risk poverty. Lights may be electric, but motive power is distributed pneumatically, air compressed by windmills. There are 12-story buildings without elevators. A bank ledger is a 3-meter high book managed by a mechanical contraption, and people still write with quills. Great ocean-going ships dock in Paris, having ascended a great canal. Miles-long ships have 2 meters of soil on their decks, so that forests and horseback riding may be supplied to the passengers. Horsemeat has returned to culinary favor. The works of Balzac and of Hugo are almost forgotten. The only poetry is things like "Meditations on Oxygen" and "Decarbonated Odes." Plays are still popular, but their writing is in the hands of a government office, which parcels out the various tasks (plot, characters, dialogue, etc.) to dull civil servants. Censorship is unheard-of because it's too much trouble.

[Paloma orejuda (Pevima) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pues... todavía no sé que es lo que he leído.

Encuentro a Verne especialmente enfarragoso. Ya me costó bastante hacerme con "viaje al centro de la tierra", aunque al final me gustó bastante. Pero este... este libro ha sido terrible, tedioso, soporífero, aburrido con ganas... casi me cuesta la vida el terminarlo.
No hay una verdadera historia, son solo ideas especulativas de un Paris del futuro, donde el arte a muerto y los números y lo practico han sido los únicos vencedores.

La lectura más muermo e insufrible del año... y mira que este año he leído unas cuantas historias que no sé le quedan muy detrás...

En fin, 1 estrella sobre 5 porque debería haber ido de cabeza a la estantería de abandonados, y porque por alguna razón que desconozco, no lo ha hecho.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi aspettavo qualcosa di meglio, come al solito le aspettative alte distruggono il godimento di un libro. Non è male, intendiamoci. Verne ha immaginato questo futuro secondo me verosimile e anche in parte già realizzato, in cui a dominare sono l'industria, le macchine e, di fatto, il profitto. Le arti non hanno più senso di esistere anzi sono viste malissimo e chi le coltiva è visto come un disadattato, feccia della società. E tuttavia il protagonista, il giovane Michel, è un poeta e non può certo fare a meno di esserlo. Mi ha fatto pensare a quei grandi della letteratura costretti a grigie esistenze da impiegati per campare, e che però sono diventati grandi scrittori, penso ad esempio a Svevo. Un libro gradevole, ma nulla di più.

[Iveth Martínez · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This odd little novel was a latter-era discovery, which was never published in Verne’s lifetime. It is an attempt by the great inventor of science fiction to envision life 100 years from his own time, and it manages to be uncannily prescient in some areas. Verne accurately envisions the Paris subway system, the commonality of horseless carriages, the electrification of the metropolis, and he even places a tower in the position later to be held by the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, this book is undeniably grounded in the nineteenth century and its concerns, and in many ways Verne has created his future (as all sci fi authors do) merely by projecting forward from current trends – many of which would seem antiquated or silly by 1961.

This volume begins with a very good introduction by Eugen Weber, ironically an expert on twentieth-century France, who also demonstrates solid understanding of the 19th. He emphasizes the prescient nature of the text, although catching some of the things Verne missed, pointing out that imagination must have some materials to build upon (his closing line, about the Zapatistas, already seems almost as out of date as the 19th century itself). From Weber we learn that Verne apparently showed this manuscript to his publisher, who felt that it was somewhat overly romantic and thin in plot, then stashed it away to be rediscovered by a descendant. Unfortunately, I think the publisher was at least somewhat correct in his assessment (and Verne must have agreed, since he made no second attempt to publish, even at the height of his fame).

Verne’s main character is a teenage poet, recently matriculated from the Academic Credit Union with an award for writing Latin verse. Such an award, in Verne’s future, is more of an insult than an honor, and throughout we are made to feel how alien from modernity is this sensitive artistic soul. Being no use in business, science, or in making money, poetry and literature have been completely abandoned, while drama is now a kind of assembly-line affair, with specialists focusing on turning out stock pratfalls and tear-jerkers, then passing the work down the line to the next artisan.

One thought that occurs to me is how ironic it is that Verne’s character laments the lack of interest in literature and its replacement by technical manuals as popular reading material. It’s ironic because Verne’s writing tends to give primacy of place to scientific details, and to let character development and plot take a backseat. This is especially true for this book, which has no character development whatever (Michel is the same at the end as at the beginning), and scarcely a plot (there is a hint of a romance, which Verne simply loses track of). It has lots of technical details, however, and so far as that goes it is a lovely example of Verne’s imagination at work.

As a librarian I was especially interested in the chapter in which Michel visits a bookstore and a library. Ironically, it shows that the concerns of librarians about obsolescence are older than the library profession itself, which only became formalized by Melville Dewey some years after the writing of this book. It is also funny that they have closed stacks and no sense of reference: “one must be already informed in order to become so.”

This book is basically a historical curiosity, probably worth reading for fans of Verne and those interested in French literature generally, but not one of the great works by any means.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel has fax machines, vehicles that work with combustion engines, elevators, skyscrapers, a subway system (elevated, though) and an absolute prevalence of business principles over anything else. What is there to surprise the modern reader? It's set in 1960 after all. Well, it was written in 1863! And it is so prophetic that even the main center of knowledge and industry, the Academic Credit Union, is set in the Champs the Mars, where Eiffel would place his tower 26 years later. Apparently, Verne didn't publish it in its time because it was too outrageous to be believed. Now, unfortunately, it's too pedestrian to impress and I had to keep reminding myself that, when the main character wanders around Paris, there would have been no Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. When he's looking at the tombs in Pere Lachaise, Oscar Wilde would not have been there. The story is quite simple: in a world where all that matters is science and technology and even the timeless masters like Victor Hugo have been forgotten, what is a young poet to do. There is no conclusion, we don't really learn what happened to any of the characters. Still, it's interesting and a curiosity to read of a Paris that never was. Or was there?

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book to read both from an historical point of view, and as historical fiction. It's fun to see what Verne envisioned and has come true, funny to laugh at what he predicted that seems far from ever happening, and maybe a bit scary to see how close he's maybe come to foreseeing the mechinization of the arts.

The book reads a bit dry and I can't help but think that Verne might have considered this to be an unfinished novel. There were moments of brightness within, but they were kind of few and far between.

The book's hero has a charming innocence about him. He seemed driven to keep literature alive and not succumb to the mechinations of the modern world. But he seems to not know how to go about it, and he is often torn between his passion for art and his passion for a young lady.

While I'm glad I read this (I bought it when it was brand new and it's taken me this long to get around to reading it), I can't necessarily recommend it to anyone.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting because of what he got right, but also what he got wrong - personally, I skimmed some of it but would slow down because what really interested me was Michel and his struggle to reconcile interests that weren't common with a cold and measured world.

What I enjoyed the most was the commentary on the periphery about authors and composers that the reader would be familiar with. I laughed that opera still existed when all other forms of art had become obsolete.

[Lew · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book.

This was literally just men complaining about things and descriptions of inventions that are not real. But like ten times more annoying and boring than that sounds.

I know it's supposed to be a dystopian future, but it just came off as "men complain about kids these days! Except for the one smart boy, too bad everyone else is dumb."

[Alicia Romero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Popsugar Reading Challenge #27: Un libro publicado de manera póstuma

El libro es bastante aburrido, lo unico bueno es que es corto.
Algunas partes si sorprenden de lo que atinó Julio Verne.

[Andrés Cabrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiempo sin leer algo de Verne que me impactase tanto como "París en el siglo XX". Aquí, en su único relato futurista, Verne entreteje sus temores (que vienen siendo también los de su época, sino basta con leer a algunos socialistas utópicos): ¿qué ocurre si existiese una hipérbole del afán de dinero, del progreso meramente económico? ¿Cómo sería una sociedad sin artes, sin actividades que no respondiesen a un criterio de utilidad material? ¿Qué ocurriría con los poetas en una época sin pasiones?

Y no se queda sólo allí. En su crítica, Verne evidencia que el afán de dinero sólo engendra violencia; tanto simbólica como material. En uno de sus cuestionamientos, queda claro que una ética de la mercancia deriva en la despolitización de la existencia. ¿Qué quiere decir esto? Que todo conflicto se disuelve- que no es lo mismo que "resuelve"- en el plano del pago económico. Ahora bien, en caso de un conflicto que no esté sometido a transacción, no queda más que la posibilidad de una guerra altamente tecnificada y mortífera, sin honor alguno. Digo esto último porque Quinsonnas, uno de los personajes, evidencia que sin "cara a cara" un conflicto no es más que barbarie (idea bastante idealizada de la guerra, propia de ese "honor de batalla" que enunciaban los cronistas hasta antes de la Primera Guerra Mundial). De la mano de lo anterior, Verne denuncia los peligros de una de las principales causas que impulsó el movimiento colonizatorio del siglo XIX; a saber, el afán de colonizar para anexar territorios que no pueden ser dominados mediante su compra. Si no puede comprarse algo en un mundo regido por el dinero, sólo restaría la guerra. Esto último, sobre todo en las guerras por recursos de finales del XX y la actualidad, resulta más que un presagio.

Por último, sólo resta señalar las hermosas páginas del final. Aquí, muy en la línea de la miseria absoluta, propia de personajes como Céline y de Quincey, Verne deja a su suerte a un ser que ya lo perdió todo. Es más, la escena de las flores rompe el alma. Si ya se pierde todo, sólo resta perder aquello que uno ama. Porque las pasiones trascienden la ilusión del dinero; con todo y que no poseerlo es ya un mal inmenso en este mundo profundamente materialista.

[Ivan Arrona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought that Verne would write something so focused on drama, Intimate, focusing more on the characters rather than adventure.

It's Verne with fear of the industrial revolution.

He is a young Verne with a fear of technology (and I say young because he wrote it in 1863 but they discovered it until the 1980s and published it in 94).

Technically this was the second novel he wrote.

[Gintas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Įdomu buvo sugrįžti prie mėgstamiausio vaikystės rašytojo Žiulio Verno ir prie jo naujausios knygos, tik prieš kokius 25 metus pirmą kartą išspausdintos. Ji, pasirodo, parašyta apie 1863 metus, o joje rašome apie tolimą ateitį - 1960 metus. Beje, jos neišleido tais laikais, nes esą ji buvusi pernelyg fantastiška...

[—kyu♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un muy intelectual "ah".