This is the first new complete literary biography of H G Wells for thirty years, and the first to encompass his entire career as a writer, from the science fiction of the 1890s through his fiction and non-fiction writing all the way up to his last publication in 1946. Adam Roberts provides a comprehensive reassessment of Wells' importance as a novelist, short-story writer, a theorist of social prophecy and utopia, journalist and commentator, offering a nuanced portrait of the man who coined the phrases 'atom bomb', 'League of Nations' 'the war to end war' and 'time machine', who wrote the world's first comprehensive global history and invented the idea of the tank. In these twenty-six chapters, Roberts covers the entirety of Wells' life and discusses every book and short story he produced, delivering a complete vision of this enduring figure.

About the Author

Adam Roberts is Professor of Nineteenth-century Literature and Culture at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK, and also an award-winning writer of science fiction. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Vice-President of the H G Wells Society.

Reviews

"This is not a scholarly study but an account of a personal engagement with the oeuvre of a great writer who has fallen out of favor with the reading public for many reasons, one of which is that several of his masterworks were almost submerged under a flood of topical, polemical writing intended to have an immediate impact and a short shelf life." (Nicholas Ruddick, Science Fiction Studies, Vol. 48, 2021)

"H. G. Wells: A Literary Life by Adam Roberts is a rich and provocative feast for students of Wells, novice and specialist alike. ... his book represents a significant contribution to our understanding of Wells's genius." (The Wellsian - The Journal of the H. G. Wells Society, Vol. 43, 2020)

Book Information
ISBN 9783030264208
Author Adam Roberts
Format Paperback
Page Count 452
Imprint Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher Springer Nature Switzerland AG