Paris in the Twentieth Century
Cover of the French edition of Paris in the 20th Century, inspired by early 20th-century book design. | |
| Author | Jules Verne |
|---|---|
| Original title | Paris au XXe siècle |
| Translator | Richard Howard |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Hachette |
Publication date | 1994 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1996 |
| Media type | |
Paris in the Twentieth Century (French: Paris au XXe siècle) is a science fiction novel by Jules Verne. The book presents Paris in August 1960, 97 years in Verne's future, when society places value only on business and technology.
Written in 1863, but first published in 1994, the novel follows a young man who struggles unsuccessfully to live in a technologically advanced but culturally backward world. The work paints a grim, dystopian view of a technological civilization.
Many of Verne's predictions are remarkably on target. However, his publisher, Pierre-Jules Hetzel, did not accept the book because he thought that it was too unbelievable and that its sales prospects would be inferior to those of Verne's previous work, Five Weeks in a Balloon.