A very prolific author, it was in the Somme, and particularly in Amiens, that the author of the Journey to the Center of the Earth wrote his best-known novels, such as Around the World in 80 Days and Twenty thousand leagues under sea. The opportunity to visit the "ideal city" according to the writer!
I am a beast of the Somme.
Considered one of the pioneers of science fiction, Jules Verne is the most translated French-speaking author in the world! His work has seen many adaptations, notably by the cinema.
Born in Nantes on Feydeau Island, the writer spent his childhood watching ships descend the Loire. He later incorporated these early memories of maritime life into his writings. In the early 1860's he met Pierre-Jules Hetzel, a well-known publisher, who helped him publish his first novel Five Weeks in a Balloon (first title of Extraordinary Journeys).
After living in Nantes and then in Paris, Jules Verne moved to Amiens, his wife's hometown, where he remained until his death. There he led a bourgeois life and mixed with the high-society.
Jules Vernes lived in this house with his wife, Honorine, for 18 years and it's where he wrote most of his works (over 30 novels). The large two-storey house includes a tower with a lookout and large attic. You can discover the author's intimacy by browsing his workroom, his winter garden or his superb dining room in a Gothic revival style.
A few meters from here, visit the Cirque Municipal d'Amiens! Inaugurated by the author in 1889, it is the largest hardwood circus in France. The writer's love for this subject can be found in 2 of his novels written there: Mathias Sandorf (1883) and César Cascabel (1889). The building, with its revolutionary architecture for the time, was designed by the architect Emile Ricquier, a former pupil of Gustave Eiffel, and now hosts shows and concerts.
The Picardy Museum
Considered one of the most beautiful museums of the region, the Picardy Museum has rich collections ranging from the Paleolithic to the present day.
And for the record, it is thanks to Jules Verne, then a member of the city council, that this museum now exhibits a collection of works by Puvis de Chavannes.
For more informations.
Have a good time in Amiens!
Jessica from Comme des Français
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