Jules Gabriel Verne was born on February 8, 1828, in Nantes Paup de la Loire, France. He was the first of five children born to Sophie Henriette Allotte de la Fuye and Pierre Verne. Jules’ imagination for travel and adventure was sparked by summers spent watching schooners and ships on the Loire River.
After finishing boarding school, where he wrote many poems and short stories, Jules went to study law. He got his degree in 1850, but was more interested in theater, much to the disapproval of his father. Living a bohemian life, Jules wrote/collaborated in numerous plays, dramas and operettas including Blind Man’s Bluff. (1852)
In 1857, Jules married Honorine de Viane Morel, a widow with two daughters, Suzanne and Valentine. He had a son with her– Michael Verne.
Jules met editor/publisher Pierre Jules Hetzel, who, even though Jules had been rejected by other publishing companies, helped launch Jules’ career.
Jules wrote Five Weeks in a Balloon (a.k.a Journeys and Discoveries in Africa by Three Englishmen) in 1863, to wide acclaim. It was considered if to be the first of his “adventure novels.” Next came Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), its sequel All around the Moon (1870), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873).
When they weren’t in Amiens, Picardie, France, Jules and Honorine spent much time sailing on their ship, the Saint-Michael. Jules’ own adventures provided much fodder for his short stories and novels.
Jules was shot by his mentally ill nephew, Gaston, causing him to limp. Two years later, in 1888, Jules was elected councilor of Amiens, a position he served loyally for fifteen years.
Jules Verne died on March 24, 1905, after developing diabetes. His son Michael oversaw the publication of many post-humous works of his father’s, including The Golden Volcano (1906), and The Hunt for the Meteor (1908).