H. G. Wells

A free thinker about sex and sexuality, he had numerous affairs and relationships, in spite of being married. These women also became inspirations for some of his characters. Later, he separated from Jane.

In 1909, he had a daughter Anna-Jane with writer Amber Reeves, with whom he had a relationship. He also had a relationship with feminist writer Rebecca West, which resulted in their son Anthony. His wife Jane died of cancer in 1927.

H. G. Wells was born on September 21, 1866, in Bromley, Kent, the UK. His father, Joseph Wells, a former domestic gardener, played professional cricket and ran a shop. His mother Sarah Neal was a housekeeper. He had three siblings.

During his childhood, he had poor health, and his parents thought that just like his older sister who died at the age of seven, Wells would also die.

When his father failed to earn enough income from his shop, Herbert and his brother worked as assistants to a draper. At his mother's workplace, the owner's library was a major attraction for Wells, and he read many books from it.

He attended Thomas Morley's Commercial Academy till 1880. In 1883, he left his apprenticeship with the draper, and joined Midhurst Grammar School as a teacher. This helped him to continue his own studies.

He attended the Normal School of Science on a scholarship. There, he discovered his interest in science and took up physics, chemistry, astronomy, and biology, besides other subjects. He studied biology and Darwinism under Thomas Henry Huxley.

For more than 50 years, H. G. Wells devoted his life to writing, and at a certain point of time, he wrote three books a year, on an average. In fact, many criticized him for his tremendous volume of work.

His first book was the ‘Textbook of Biology’ published in 1893. In 1895, he became a literary sensation with the publication of his first novel ‘The Time Machine’. This novel was followed by a series of science fiction novels that made him the “father of science fiction”.

His popular science fiction novels include ‘The Wonderful Visit’ published in 1895, ‘The Island of Doctor Moreau’ published in 1896, ‘The Invisible Man’ released in 1897, ‘The War of the Worlds’ in 1898, ‘The First Men in the Moon’ in 1901, and ‘The Food of the Gods’ in 1904.

Many of his short stories were collected in ‘The Stolen Bacillus,’ published in 1895; ‘The Plattner Story’ published in 1897; and ‘Tales of Space and Time,’ published in 1899. For many years, he served as a book reviewer at the ‘Saturday Review.’

In 1901, he published his first non-fiction book called ‘Anticipations’, in which he made many predictions, many of which eventually came true. These include the development of major cities and suburbs, economic globalization, and some future military disputes.

H. G. Wells became popular almost overnight with the publication of the novel ‘The Time Machine’. The book talks about a scientist who creates a time travel machine. It also explores social and scientific aspects, from class conflicts to evolution. The novel was adapted into three feature films, two television versions, and a number of comic books. It has also inspired many other fiction works over the years.

The 1896 science fiction novel ‘The Island of Doctor Moreau’ is another significant work by Wells. It tells the story of a man who meets a scientist conducting some grisly experiments on animals in the hope of creating new species on earth. The novel was made into films and other adaptations a number of times.

‘The Invisible Man’ is another popular science fiction novel by Wells. The book talks about a scientist who turns himself invisible and undergoes a dark personal transformation. It was adapted into numerous films and TV series.

His science-fiction novel, ‘The War of the Worlds,’ was serialized in 1897 by the UK magazine ‘Pearson's Magazine’ and by ‘Cosmopolitan’ in the US. The story is about a conflict between humans and an extraterrestrial race. Although the novel was highly praised by critics, some criticized the brutal nature of the events narrated in the book.