About
Herbert George Wells, born in Bromley to a modest family, studied biology under T. H. Huxley and earned a degree in zoology. A pioneer of science fiction, he achieved success with The Time Machine (1895), followed by The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds. He also wrote realist and satirical novels such as Kipps and The History of Mr. Polly. Engaged in the Fabian Society, he was an influential social thinker. His Outline of History (1920) became an international bestseller. Nominated four times for the Nobel Prize in Literature, he died in London in 1946.
* 1866-09-21 — † 1946-08-13
Major works
- The Time Machine (1895)novel
- The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896)novel
- The Invisible Man (1897)novel
- The War of the Worlds (1898)novel
- The Outline of History (1920)historical work
Key milestones
- 1884Won a scholarship to study biology at the Normal School of Science under T. H. Huxley.
- 1903Joined the Fabian Society, but later quarrelled with its leadership.
- 1921First of four nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Themes
science fiction and foresightsocial critiqueprogress and technologyhistory and educationutopia and dystopia
Sources: britannica.com · nobelprize.org · imperial.ac.uk
