The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells

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Résumé :
From the twentieth century's first great practitioner of the novel of ideas comes a consummate masterpiece of science fiction about a man trapped in the terror of his own creation. First published in 1897, The Invisible Man ranks as one of the most famous scientific fantasies ever written. Part of a series of pseudoscientific romances written by H. G. Wells (1866-1946) early in his career, the novel helped establish the British author as one of the first and best writers of science fiction. Wells' years as a science student undoubtedly inspired a number of his early works, including this strikingly original novel. Set in turn-of-the-century England, the story focuses on Griffin, a scientist who has discovered the means to make himself invisible. His initial, almost comedic, adventures are soon overshadowed by the bizarre streak of terror he unleashes upon the inhabitants of a small village. Notable for its sheer invention, suspense, and psychological nuance, The Invisible Man continues to enthrall science-fiction fans today as it did the reading public nearly 100 years ago. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Herbert George Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, England, on September 21, 1866. His father was a professional cricketer and sometime shopkeeper, his mother a former lady's maid. Although 'Bertie' left school at fourteen to become a draper's apprentice (a life he detested), he later won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London, where he studied with the famous Thomas Henry Huxley. He began to sell articles and short stories regularly in 1893. In 1895, his immediately successful novel rescued him from a life of penury on a schoolteacher's salary. His other 'scientific romances'-The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds (1898), The First Men in the Moon (1901), and The War in the Air (1908)-won him distinction as the father of science fiction.

Biographie:
Herbert George Wells is called the Father of Science Fiction because of his groundbreaking works in establishing the genre. His most influential pieces include The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Island of Doctor Moreau.
The youngest of four children, Wells was born in Kent, England in 1866 to former domestic servants. He became enamored with reading in his childhood while mending a broken leg. During his failed early career paths he still read extensively from the house library where his mother had returned to working as a servant. He became a teacher at Midhurst Grammar school and later won a scholarship to study science at what became the Royal College of Science in London. He joined the Debating Society there and developed an interest in philosophers and the reformation of society-specifically, the concept of socialism. He wrote for the school journal and published his first serialized fiction story soon after, a precursor to The Time Machine.
A prolific writer, Wells dabbled in nearly every genre, but is best known for his science fiction, and is credited with predicting the invention of tanks, nuclear weaponry, aircraft, and even the nebulous concept of the internet. He was a four-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He died at the age of 79 in his home at Regent's Park on August 13, 1946.