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The Invisible Man by H G Wells (1866-1946)  About
the author Herbert George Wells was born in Bromley, Kent. His father was a shopkeeper and his mother served from time to time as a housekeeper at the nearby estate of Uppark. Wells often went with his mother and studied books in the library secretly. When his father's business failed, Wells was apprenticed like his brothers to a draper. He obtained a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London and studied biology. However, he lost interest and left without a degree. He taught in private schools until, in 1891, he settled in London, married his cousin Isabel and continued his career as a teacher in a correspondence college. From 1893 Wells became a full-time writer. Wells left Isabel for one of his brightest students, Amy Catherine, whom he married in 1895. His first novel was "The Time Machine", a parody of English class division. Much of the realistic atmosphere of the story was achieved by carefully studied technical details. The Time Machine was followed by "The Island of Dr. Moreau", in which a mad scientist transforms animals into human creatures. Wells, who was a Darwinist, did not reject the evolutionary theory but attacked optimists and warned that human progress is not inevitable. The Invisible Man (1897) was a Faustian story of a scientist who has played with nature in pursuit of superhuman powers, and The War of the Worlds (1898), a novel of an invasion of Martians. The story appeared at a time when Schiaparell's discovery of Martian "canals" created speculations that there could be life on the Red Planet. The First Men in the Moon (1901) was prophetic description of the methodology of space flight, and The War in the Air (1908) foresaw the importance of air forces in combat. Although Wells's novels were highly entertaining, he also tried to create debate about the future of mankind. Dissatisfied with his literary work, Wells started to write novels with Love and Mr. Lewisham (1900). Kipps strengthened his reputation as a serous writer. Wells also published critical pamphlets attacking the Victorian social order. Passionate concern for society led Wells to join the socialist Fabian Society in London. It advocated a fairer society by planning for a gradual system of reforms. However, he soon quarreled with the society's leaders, among them George Bernard Shaw. At the outbreak of war in 1914, Wells was involved in a love affair with a young journalist, Rebecca West, 26 years his junior. West and Wells called themselves "panther" and "jaguar". In his novels Wells used his two wives, Amber Reeves, Rebecca West, Odette Keun and all the passing mistresses as models for his characters. "I was never a great amorist," Wells wrote in Experiment in Autobiography (1934) "though I have loved several people very deeply." Rebecca West became a famous author, Elizabeth von Arnim dismissed Wells, and Moura Budberg, Maxim Gorky's former mistress, refused to marry him or even be faithful. Wells became a popular celebrity, and he continued to write prolifically. In 1917 he was a member of Research Committee for the League of Nations and published several books about the world organization. Although Wells had many reservations about the Soviet system, he understood the broad aims of the Russian Revolution, and had a fairly friendly meeting with Lenin. In the early 1920s Wells was a labour candidate for Parliament. In 1934 he had discussions with both Stalin, who left him disillusioned, and Roosevelt, trying to recruit them without success to his world-saving schemes. Also one of his mistresses, Moura Budberg, turned out to be a Soviet agent for years. Orson Welles' Mercury Theater radio broadcast, based on The War of the Worlds, caused a panic in the Eastern United States on October 30, 1938. In Newark, New Jersey, all the occupants of a block of flats left their homes with wet towels round their heads and in Harlem a congregation fell to its knees. Wells lived through World War II in his house on Regent's Park, refusing to let the bombing drive him out of London. His last book, Mind at the End of its Tether (1945), expressed pessimism about mankind's future prospects. Wells died in London on August 13, 1946. Puedes abrir el libro entero o por capítulos aqui: Original Version:
o descargarlo para leerlo cuando quieras: Original Version
Otros libros del mes en inglés:  The
100 Greatest Books of the 20th Century65 Quotations
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