The Twentieth Century ( Early Classics of Science Fiction series )

( French - La Guerre au Vingtième Siècle - 1883 )

novel by Albert Robida

translated by Arthur B. Evans

Published: Wesleyan University Press - trade paperback - 2004
ISBN: 0819566802 / 9780819566805


synopsis
The Twentieth Century - a unique blend of objets d’art and pulp fiction, science fiction and satire - was initially published in 1882 to great acclaim. Abundantly illustrated by the author, the story presents a panorama of society in the century to come. The story opens in the spring of 1952 as Hélène Colobryy, niece of mega-banker Raphael Ponto, has just graduated from a private provincial school and needs to find a career. This highly original futuristic fantasy is a cross between “The Jetsons” and the novels of Charles Dickens: it focuses on the daily life of a bourgeois family living in the technology-driven world of tomorrow - where trips to the market are made by aircar and where women argue politics with their husbands via videophone. The book opened new frontiers in speculative fiction with its superb graphics and its evocative text.

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