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Lottman

From: Art Evans <aevans2~at~tds.net>
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 11:37:43 -0800
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

Dear Walter,
Lottman's biography has received very mixed reviews from most Vernians. "Fair" and "thoughtful" are not the adjectives most of them would use in describing this book. For example, here is an excerpt of what I said in a 1997 book review (I don't recall where it was published):
Lottman is both meticulous in his research and dependably authoritative in his rendering of the sometimes shadowy details of Verne's life. Thus, in terms of its factual accuracy, Jules Verne: An Exploratory Biography far surpasses the two previously-available biographies on Jules Verne written by Marguerite Allotte de la Fuye and Jean Jules-Verne. As such, it will probably become the standard biographical reference for all future scholarship on Verne.

But be forewarned. Lottman's approach resembles that of the medical examiner who dissects his subject on the operating table, believing that the sum of the parts is equivalent to the whole. Following a fairly comprehensive perusal of the existing French scholarship on the topic (almost no Anglo-American studies of Verne were used) and after lengthy consultations with Dr. Olivier Dumas (medical doctor, President of the Société Jules Verne, and himself the author of a controversial Verne biography repeatedly quoted in this book), Lottman goes on to reconstruct the "real'' Jules Verne from a methodical examination of all of Verne's letters, publishing contracts, interviews, court records, eyewitness accounts, family remembrances, and other historical documents from the Verne archives and the BibliothPque Nationale.

In so doing, Lottman succeeds in sweeping away many of the popular myths surrounding this celebrated "Father of Science Fiction.'' But he also tends to dwell disproportionately upon Verne's "dark side'': the author's brooding obsessions, various gastro-intestinal ailments, supposed latent homosexuality, unrepentent anti-Semitism, reputed marital infidelities, less-than-admirable parenting skills, and so forth. Granted, these sometimes sordid aspects of Verne's private life are, and should be, fair game for a conscientious biographer. But, inexplicably, Lottman chooses to downplay that most salient feature of Verne's life: his writings. This biography never really addresses the incredibly rich content of Verne's works, their innovative place in the history of speculative fiction, or their crucial influence on the developing genre of science fiction. Reduced to plot summaries, sales figures, and author royalites, the individual works of Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires are treated as little more than periodic benchmarks in the chronology of the author's biological existence.

Let me be quite clear about this. It is the man who is the topic of Jules Verne: An Exploratory Biography, not the author. It is his character and daily habits that are scrutinized, not his imagination or literary production. Lottman's book is a psychological and sociological analysis of Jules Verne's personal life, not an assessment of his contributions to world literature.

Amitiés,
Art




  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Walter J Miller
  To: Jules Verne Forum
  Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 6:24 AM
  Subject: Re: Verne in retirement



  Does anyone else have reason to call Lottman "infamous"? I thought his bio was fair and thoughtful. Any comments will be appreciated. Cheers! Walter James Miller----- Original Message -----

  From: Jan Rychlík <jan.rychlik~at~seznam.cz>

  Date: Saturday, January 29, 2005 11:24 am

  Subject: Re: Verne in retirement


> Dear Ian,
>
> The infamous Herbert Lottman used the retirement letter as a
> further "possible evidence" of Verne's avarice, this time
> unwillingness to pay membership fees. Lottman writes (Chpt. 38)
> that Verne also ended his membership in another societies then,
> but at the same time became a founding member of anti-Deyfuss
> Patriot League.
>
> But I didn't intend to write about Lottman inasmuch, rather to ask
> you whether you looked also for Verne's 1868 speech before the
> Société de Géographie de Paris reviewing the book "Histoire de la
> Guerre civile, 1861-1865" by Cortambert and Tranaltos?
>
> Sincerely
>
> Jan Rychlik
> ____________________________________________________________
> http://www.seznam.cz - e-mailová schránka 1000 MB
>
>
Received on Sun 30 Jan 2005 - 21:37:58 IST

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