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Re: h g wells letter

From: Ferrer <maurice.ferrer~at~wanadoo.fr>
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 20:54:14 +0200
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>

I think it's time to say a "grand merci"to Chris for his sharing with us this article.
Maurice.
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: chrisleather
  To: jules verne forum
  Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 6:15 PM
  Subject: h g wells letter


  Included in "Correspondence Of H. G. Wells" edited by David C. Smith (Pickering & Chatto 1998) Volume 2 [1904 - 1918].

  Letter 578, To the Editor, Outlook

  Spade House
  Sandgate 23. iii. 05

  My dear Sir,

  Your Telegram came to my hands too late for me to wire reply. I'm very sorry that my contract with the Daily Mail prevents me writing you any article at present. As far as Jules Verne goes, I think I shouldn't like to in any case. A good deal of injustice has been done the old man in comparison with me. I don't like the idea of muscling into the circle of attention about him with officious comments or opinions eulogy. I've let the time when I might have punished him decently go by.

  Yours very sincerely
  H. G. Wells.

  [footnote by editor]
  Although Wells did not care for having his work compared with that of Verne, and denied any influence from that source, he always refused, as here, the opportunity to attack Verne or Verne's science, as he felt they were writing for different audiences. At this time in France, many critics hoped that Wells would attack Verne, for their own purpose, but he did not rise to the bait, and within three or four years the comparison was no longer made except to have it denied in a perfunctory way by virtually everyone concerned. In fact the standard comparison in France was to Poe.
Received on Thu 26 Sep 2002 - 21:55:52 IDT

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