J.-H. Rosny aîné

J.-H. Rosny aîné ( born February 17, 1856 in Brussels, † February 11, 1940 in Paris, actually Joseph Henri Honoré Boex ) was a Belgian- French writer, considered one of the founders of modern science fiction. Boex initially wrote together with his younger brother Séraphin Justin François Boex under the pseudonym JH Rosny. After the end of their collaboration used Joseph Boex the pseudonym " Rosny aîné " ( Rosny the Elder), while his brother as " Rosny jeune " ( Rosny the younger) occurred.

Life

From 1896 lived Boex in Paris, where he became friends with the family Goncourt and Daudet. He and his brother were 1903 members of the first jury for the award of the Prix Goncourt. Rosny Aîné 1926 was president of the Académie Goncourt. In 1940, he died in Paris.

Services

J.-H. Rosny aîné one of the founders of modern science fiction and is occasionally also because he was active before HG Wells, referred to as the first representative. He coined the word l' astronaute, a designation for spaceman has prevailed in the U.S. and Western Europe.

Of particular importance is his story Les Xipéhuz (1887 ), initiated in the primitive people on extraterrestrial beings with whom no communication is possible. The people finally defeat the invaders in battle, but the chronicler regrets the murder of alien life. Noteworthy is the shift away from anthropomorphism in the representation of extraterrestrial life, the description of phenomena beyond human comprehension, which is also characteristic of many other works Rosnys.

Another example is the story La Mort de la Terre (1910). Here are the last people live in an almost completely dried up earth on which a new form of life begins to develop, the iron-based ferromagnétaux that will populate the earth after the extinction of humanity.

Even in plants whose venue is the earth as we know it, is Rosny aîné busy with phenomena that surround us and yet the perception and knowledge of the people exceed about in Un autre monde (1895 ). This story describes the life of a vehicle equipped with extraordinary abilities who is able to perceive beings who share unnoticed habitat with humans.

His novel La Guerre du Feu (1909 ) formed the basis for the film In the beginning was the fire (1981).