H.G. Wells: The Pen Behind Our Favorite Sci-fi Movies

The War of the Worlds movie that came out a couple years ago was the latest in a string of movies based on fascinating science fiction novels by H.G. Wells. This 19^th century writer was ahead of his time and brought us such gripping tales as The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man and The Time Machine.

H.G. Wells was born in England, in 1866, to a shopkeeper father and a housekeeper mother. His father's shop failed early on, but young Wells didn't lack for education. He would go with his mother to the high society houses that she cleaned and hide out in the massive libraries, studying books to his heart's content.

After the loss of his father's business, H.G. Wells became a draper apprentice, a job he evidently didn't enjoy much, considering the way he wrote about it later in Kipps. Once he escaped the apprenticeship, Wells began to both teach and study at the same time at Midhurst Grammar School.

While he did attempt to study biology for a while, it bored him and he dropped out to become a school teacher for 4 years, after which he managed to finish his B.S. At the ripe old age of 23, he graduated and fell in love with his cousin, Isabella. They were married the following year, but the marriage didn't last long. Continuing the pattern of jumping from activity to activity, Wells left Isabella for a student, Amy and they were married when he turned 28, just a year after the young man decided to dedicate himself to writing full time.

His first novel, The Time Machine, has been made into a movie, not once, but several times, and was based on the premise that time is the fourth dimension. It wasn't until years later that renowned scientist Albert Einstein published the same theory. Despite dropping out of science, Wells seemed to have a pretty good grasp of concepts and was more than capable of dreaming up his own bizarre machines.

His next novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, has been adapted to the silver screen three times, each with a notable actor playing the part of Dr. Moreau, a scientist experimenting with combining humans and animals on a secret island. Charles Laughton, Burt Lancaster and Marlon Brando have all interpreted this character.

Over the next decade, this amazing young writer turned out more novels such as The War of the Worlds (inspired by the discovery of canals on Mars and the speculation that there might be life there), The First Men on the Moon, and The War in the Air. In each of his books, Wells sought to explore the possible future of mankind. In some cases, such as with The First Men on the Moon, he came very close to the truth.

After this, Wells turned to more serious writing, striving to portray his opinions against Victorian society in The History of Mr. Polly, Mankind in the Making and A Modern Utopia.

Before the end of his life in 1946, Wells had gone through no less than four wives and a long string of mistresses. His conquests were partially covered in his Experiment in Autobiography. His was a fascinating life, full of debates and arguments with Stalin and Roosevelt, among others.

Source:
http://www.readprint.com/