J.-H. Rosny aîné was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of Joseph Henri Honoré Boex (17 February 1856 – 11 February 1940), a French author of Belgian origin who is considered one of the founding figures of modern

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

. Born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in 1856, he wrote in the French language, together with his younger-brother Séraphin Justin François Boex under the pen name J.-H. Rosny until 1909. After they ended their collaboration Joseph Boex continued to write under the name "Rosny aîné" (''Rosny the Elder'') while his brother used J.-H. Rosny jeune (''Rosny the Younger'').

Overview

Rosny aîné was very much like

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

Olaf Stapledon William Olaf Stapledon (10 May 1886 – 6 September 1950) – known as Olaf Stapledon – was a British philosopher and author of science fiction.Andy Sawyer, " illiamOlaf Stapledon (1886-1950)", in Bould, Mark, et al, eds. ''Fifty Key Figures ...

in his concepts and his way of dealing with them in his novels. He was the second most important figure after Jules Verne in the history of modern French science fiction. Because his writing was not translated into English before his death, and his readers did not always understand his science fiction novels, his impact on the early evolution of the genre was limited. Rosny's first science fiction tale was the

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

'' Les Xipéhuz he Shapes' (1887), in which primitive humans (the story takes place a thousand years before Babylonian times) encounter inorganic aliens, with whom all forms of communication prove impossible. Men eventually drive away the invaders, but the hero mourns the loss of another life. This was the first time that science fiction abandoned its usual anthropomorphic approach in the description of alien life. The story "Un Autre Monde" Another World"(1895) establishes that humans share the Earth with the land-bound Moedigen (Dutch for 'brave ones') and the air-borne Vuren ('fires'), two infinitely flat and

invisible Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light in ...

species who cohabit with us. Only a

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

whose vision is superior to that of ordinary men can see them. In ''Le Cataclysme'' he Cataclysm(1896), an entire region of France sees the physical laws of nature change, as a result of the arrival of a mysterious electro-magnetic entity from

outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

. Rosny's short novel, '' La Mort de la Terre'' 'The Death of the Earth''(1910), takes place in the far future, when Earth had all but dried out. In it, the last descendants of mankind become aware of the emergence of a new species, the metal-based "Ferromagnetals", fated to replace us. Another novel, ''La Force Mystérieuse'' 'The Mysterious Force''(1913), tells of the destruction of a portion of the light spectrum by a mysterious force—possibly aliens from outer space who, for a brief while, share our physical existence. This causes panic, then a progressive and potentially deadly cooling of the world. ''L'Énigme de Givreuse'' 'The Enigma of Givreuse''(1917) is another novel about a fissiparous human being, divided into two totally similar individuals, each naturally believing himself to be the original. The novella ''La Jeune Vampire'' 'The Young Vampire''(1920) was the first time that

vampirism A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or dea ...

was described as a genetic

mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA replication, DNA or viral repl ...

, transmissible by birth. ''L'Étonnant Voyage d'Hareton Ironcastle'' 'The Amazing Journey of Hareton Ironcastle''(1922) is a more traditional

adventure novel Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the Introduction to the ''Encycloped ...

; in it, explorers eventually discover a fragment of an alien world, with its fauna and flora, attached to Earth. The novel was adapted and retold by

Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...

. Rosny's masterpiece is ''Les Navigateurs de l'Infini'' 'The Navigators of Infinity''(1925) in which the word astronaut, "astronautique", was coined for the first time. In it, Rosny's heroes travel to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

in the "Stellarium", a spaceship powered by artificial

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

and made of "argine", an indestructible, transparent material. On Mars, the human explorers come in contact with the gentle, peaceful, six-eyed, three-legged "Tripèdes", a dying race who is slowly being replaced by the "Zoomorphs", alien entities who bear some resemblance to the "Ferromagnetals" of ''La Mort de la Terre''. Later, a young Martian female, capable of bearing children parthenogenetically by merely wishing it, gives birth to a child after falling in love with one of the human explorers. This heralds the rebirth of the Martian race and, with Man's help, the eventual reconquest of their planet. Rosny also penned five prehistoric novels: ''Vamireh'' (1892), ''Eyrimah'' (1893), the world-renowned classic ''La Guerre du Feu'' better known as ''

Quest for Fire ''Quest for Fire'' may refer to: * '' The Quest for Fire'', a 1911 novel by J. H. Rosny * ''Quest for Fire'' (film), a 1981 film adaptation of the 1911 novel * "Quest for Fire", a song by Iron Maiden from 1983's ''Piece of Mind ''Piece of Min ...

'' (1909) which served as the basis for the 1981

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

; ''Le Félin Géant'' 'The Giant Cat''(1918) (sometimes known as ''Quest of the Dawn Man'') and ''Helgvor du Fleuve Bleu'' 'Helgvor of the Blue River''(1930). In it, he combined the notions of modern drama with the ability to depict Man's early days. In 1897, Joseph Boex was named to the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and in 1903 was named to the first jury of the

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

along with his

brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

. Rosny aîné remained involved with the

Académie Goncourt The Société littéraire des Goncourt (Goncourt Literary Society), usually called the Académie Goncourt (Goncourt Academy), is a French literary organisation based in Paris. It was founded in 1900 by the French writer and publisher Edmond de Go ...

and in 1926 became its president.

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production a ...

nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928 and 1933. Joseph Boex died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1940.

Selected bibliography

* '' Les Xipéhuz'' (1887) translated by

Damon Knight Damon Francis Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002) was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of " To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for ''The Twilight Zone''.Stanyard, ''Dimensions Behind t ...

included in ''100 Years of Science Fiction, Book One'', ; translated by

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...

included in ''The Navigators of Space'', 2010, * ''La Sorcière'' (1887) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Young Vampire'', 2010, * ''La Légende Sceptique'' (1889) translated as ''The Skeptical; Legend'' included in ''The Navigators of Space'', 2010, q.v. * ''Vamireh'' (1892) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''Vamireh'', 2010, * ''Eyrimah'' (1893) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''Vamireh'', q.v. * ''Nymphée'' (1893) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The World of the Variants'', 2010, * ''L'Indomptee'' (1894) * ''Le Jardin de Mary'' (1895) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Givreuse Enigma'', 2010, * ''Un autre monde'' Another World"(1895) translated as ''Another World'' included in ''The Navigators of Space'', 2010, q.v.J.-H Rosny the elder, ''Another World'', in Collapse: Journal of Philosophical Research and Development vol. iii, Falmouth: Urbanomic, 2007, , pp.255-305. * ''Les Profondeurs de Kyamo'' 'The Depths of Kyamo''(1896) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The World of the Variants'', 2010, q.v. * ''La Contrée Prodigieuse des Cavernes'' (1896) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The World of the Variants'', 2010, q.v. * ''Le Cataclysme'' (1896) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Mysterious Force'', q.v. * ''Nomai'' (1897) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''Vamireh'', 2010, q.v. * ''Le Voyage'' (1900) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The World of the Variants'', 2010, q.v. * ''La Guerre du Feu'' (''

'') (1909) transl. as ''The Quest for Fire'', 1967 * ''Le Trésor dans la Neige'' 'The Treasure in the Snow''(1910) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The World of the Variants'', 2010, q.v. * '' La Mort de la Terre'' 'The Death of the Earth''(1910) translated as ''The Death of the Earth'' included in ''The Navigators of Space'', 2010, q.v. * ''La Force Mystérieuse'' 'The Mysterious Force''(1913) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Mysterious Force'', 2010, * ''L'Aube du Futur'' 'The Dawn of the Future''(1917) * ''L'Énigme de Givreuse'' 'The Enigma of Givreuse''(1917) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Givreuse Enigma'', 2010, q.v. * ''Le Félin Géant'' (1918) transl. as ''The Giant Cat'', 1924; a.k.a. ''Quest of the Dawn Man'', 1964, translated by The Honorable Lady Whitehead included in ''Helgvor of the Blue River'' (2010), * ''La Grande Énigme'' 'The Great Enigma''(1920) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The World of the Variants'', 2010, q.v. * ''La Jeune Vampire'' (1920) (a.k.a. ''Le Vampire de Bethnal Green'') translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Young Vampire'', 2010, q.v. * ''L'Étonnant Voyage d'Hareton Ironcastle'' 'The Amazing Journey of Hareton Ironcastle''(1922) adapted & retold by Philip Jose Farmer as ''Ironcastle'', 1976; translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Mysterious Force'', q.v. * ''L'Assassin Surnaturel'' 'The Supernatural Assassin''(1923) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Young Vampire'', 2010, q.v. * ''Les Navigateurs de l'Infini'' 'The Navigators of Infinity''(1925) translated as ''The Navigators of Space'' included in ''The Navigators of Space'', 2010, q.v. * ''La Terre Noire'' 'The Black Earth''(1925) * ''Le Trésor Lointain'' 'The Far-Away Treasure''(1926) * ''La Femme Disparue'' 'The Vanished Woman''(1926) * ''Les Conquérants du Feu 'The Conquerors of Fire''(1929) * ''Les Hommes-Sangliers'' 'The Boar-Men''(1929) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The World of the Variants'', 2010, q.v. * ''Helgvor du Fleuve Bleu'' 'Helgvor of the Blue River''(1929), translated by Georges Surdez included in ''Helgvor of the Blue River'' (2010), q.v. * ''Au Château des Loups Rouges'' 'At the Castle of the Red Wolves''(1929) * ''L'Initiation de Diane'' 'Diana's Initiation''(1930) * ''Tabubu'' (1932) * ''Les Compagnons de l'Univers'' 'The Companions of the Universe''(1934) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Young Vampire'', 2010, q.v. * ''La Sauvage Aventure'' 'The Savage Adventure''(1935) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The Givreuse Enigma'', 2010, q.v. * ''Dans le Monde des Variants'' (1939) translated by Brian Stableford included in ''The World of the Variants'', 2010, q.v. * ''Les Astronautes'' (pub. 1960) translated as ''The Astronauts'' included in ''The Navigators of Space'', 2010, q.v. * ′'L'Amour D'Abord'′ (pub.1924) Copyright by J.Flammarion avec des Bois originaux de Arsene Brivot * ''Le Livre Moderne Illustre'' J. Ferenczi & Fils, Editeurs

References

External links

* * * English translation of
Les Xipéhuz

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosny, J.-H. Aine 1856 births 1940 deaths Belgian science fiction writers French fantasy writers French male novelists French people of Belgian descent French science fiction writers Writers of fiction set in prehistoric times

Overview

Selected bibliography

See also

References

External links