Brief biography of English short-story writer and historian H.G. Wells, regarded as the father of modern science fiction.

His nom de plume is H.G. Wells. Herbert George Wells is a writer and educator, who strongly believes in science and technology. Three of his successful and popular books are: The Time Machine, (1895) The War of the Lords, (1898) and The Outline of History. (1920)

Herbert George Wells was born in Bromley, south of England, on September 21, 1866. His family was not wealthy, his father unsuccessful as a tradesman. By winning a scholarship to a science school in London, he sealed a career as a shop assistant. He took first class honours degree in zoology. His early life is reflected in many of his novels' protagonists, especially in terms of life struggles.

Training and Education

In college his tutor was Thomas Huxley, a scientist and teacher of comparative anatomy, who taught him about the famous Darwin's theory of evolution which states that animals evolve in response to changes in their environment. Darwin's idea fascinated him. H.G. Wells explored the idea in relation to the future of mankind in many of his novels.

Early Career

Wells became a full-time writer when he was 29 years old, after an accident that damaged his kidneys. Prior, he worked as a bookkeeper, schoolteacher, and journalist.

Novelist and Science Fiction Writer

He wrote over 80 stories and novels. Some of these were science fiction, and some were novels about political and social ideas. His literary career started with the publication of his first novel The Time Machine, one of his best-loved works. It is about a time traveller who journeys to the future and witnesses the planet Earth die. He describes how, in the future, human beings have evolved into two species, the useless Eloi and the practical Morlocks. In another famous novel, The War of the Worlds, Wells describes how Martians invade the Earth and are only defeated by common human germs. Wells also wrote a popular history book, The Outline of History.

Family and Marital Life

His first marriage to a cousin Isabel was not a happy one, but his second marriage to Amy Robbins (he called her 'Jane') lasted, although he had a liaison with another famous novelist Rebecca West for about ten years which attracted much attention. They had a son, Anthony West.

Relationship with Fellow Writers

H.G. Wells had friendships and debates with colleagues, for instance, with George Bernard Shaw and fellow novelist Henry James. An interesting resource is Henry James and H.G. Wells: A Record of their Friendship, their Debate on the Art of Fiction, and their Quarrel, edited by Leon Edel and Gordon Ray (University of Illinois Press, 1958).

Beliefs of H.G. Wells

Wells had great faith in the potential of science and technology to solve the problems of the human race. However, as he grew older, he began to feel that human beings had become too selfish and cruel in their use of technology.

H.G. Wells was an advocate of the League of Nations and continued to see himself as an educator.

Books by H.G. Wells

• The Time Machine 1895
• The Island of Dr. Moreau 1896
• The Invisible Man 1897
• The War of the Worlds 1898
• When the Sleeper Awakes 1899
• The First Men in the Moon 1901
• The War in the Air 1908
• The Outline of History 1920
• The Shape of Things to Come 1933
• The Holy Terror 1939

Sources:

Cambridge Guide to Literature in English by Ian Ousby (1993)

Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring (1994)