H.G. Wells

Literature / Writer's Datebook: September 21

 

 

Brief biography of H.G. Wells, English novelist, educator, and science-fiction writer, regarded as the father of modern science fiction.

 

Herbert George Wells or H.G. Wells, his nom de plume in the literary world, was born in Bromley, in the south of England, on September 21, 1866. His family was not wealthy, father unsuccessful as a tradesman. By winning a scholarship to a science school in London, he sealed a career as a shop assistant. He took first class honours degree in zoology.  His early life is reflected in many of his novels' protagonists, especially in terms of life struggles.

Training and Education

In college his tutor was Thomas Huxley, a scientist and teacher of comparative anatomy, who taught him about the famous Darwin's theory of evolution which states that animals evolve in response to changes in their environment. Darwin's idea fascinated him. H.G. Wells explored the idea in relation to the future of mankind in many of his novels.

Early Career: Bookkeeper, Teacher, and Journalist

Wells became a full-time writer when he was 29 years old, after an accident that damaged his kidneys. Prior, he worked as a bookkeeper, schoolteacher, and journalist.

Literary Career: Novelist and Science Fiction Writer

He wrote over 80 stories and novels. His literary career started with the publication of his novel novel The Time Machine. Some of these were science fiction, and some were novels about political and social ideas. Wells also wrote a popular history book, The Outline of History. His first novel, The Time Machine, is one of his best-loved works. It is about a time traveller who journeys to the future and witnesses the planet Earth die. He describes how, in the future, human beings have evolved into two species, the useless Eloi and the practical Morlocks. In another famous novel, The War of the Worlds, Wells describes how Martians invade the Earth and are only defeated by common human germs.

Family and Marital Life

His first marriage to a cousin Isabel was not a happy one, but her second marriage to Amy Robbins (he called 'Jane') lasted, although he had a liaison with another famous novelist Rebecca West for about ten years which attracted much attention. They had a son, Anthony West.   

Well's Beliefs and Leanings

Wells had great faith in the potential of science and technology to solve the problems of the human race. However, as he grew older, he began to feel that human beings have become too selfish and cruel in their use for technology. H.G. Wells was an advocate of the League of Nations and continued to see himself as an educator.  

H.G. Wells died at the age of 79, 13th of August, 1946.

 

Books by H.G. Wells

The Time Machine 1895

The Island of Dr. Moreau  1896

The Invisible Man  1897

The War of the Worlds  1898

When the Sleeper Awakes  1899

The First Men in the Moon  1901

The War in the Air  1908

The Outline if History  1920

The Shape of Things to Come  1933

The Holy Terror  1939

 

Image Credit:

H.G. Wells. Portrait by George Charles Beresford, 1920. Wikipedia Commons / Public Domain

 

Resources:

Cambridge Guide to Literature in English by Ian Ousby (1993)

H.G. Wells. en.wikipedia.org

Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring (1994)

 

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