Paschal Grousset

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Jean François Paschal Grousset (1844 - 1909) was a French politician, journalist and science fiction writer.

Grousset was born in Corsica, and studied medicine before commencing a journalistic career. In 1869 he worked for La Marseillaise, writing pro-revolutionary articles. As a result of an attempt by Grousset to challenge Pierre Napoleon Bonaparte to a duel during 1870, Grousset's second, Victor Noir, was shot and killed by Bonaparte during a quarrel. Later the same year Grousset was sentenced to six months imprisonment. He was elected a member of the Paris Commune, becoming a member of its Executive Committee and Delegate for External Affairs.

After the fall of the Commune, he was arrested and, in 1872, he was deported to New Caledonia. He escaped, and lived in Sydney, San Francisco, New York and London, making a living by teaching French. He returned to France after the 1880 amnesty, becoming involoved in literature and physical culture, but eventually returning to politics and, in 1893, becoming a Socialist Deputy for the 12th arrondissement of Paris.

Grousset published under the pseudonyms of André Laurie and Philippe Daryl. Like Jules Verne, he was another discovery of publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel. He "collaborated" with Verne on Les Cinq Cent Millions de la Begum [The 500 Millions Of The Begum] (1879), L'Étoile du Sud [The Southern Star] (1884) and L'Épave du Cynthia [Salvage From The "Cynthia"] (1885). Some scholars believe that these works were based on manuscripts written by Grousset and rewritten by Verne at Hetzel's request.

One of Grousset's most interesting science fiction novels was Les Exilés de la Terre a.k.a. Séléné Company Ltd. [Exiled From Earth] (1887), probably one of the most fanciful cosmic tales of all times. In it, a consortium which intends to exploit the Moon’s mineral resources decides that, since our satellite is too far to be reached, it must be brought closer to the Earth. A Sudanese mountain composed of pure iron ore becomes the headquarters of the newly-established Selene Company. Solar reflectors are used to provide the energy required to convert the mountain into a huge electro-magnet, with miles of cables wrapped around it. A spaceship-cum-observatory is then built on top of the mountain. When the experiment begins, the mountain is ripped away from the Earth and catapulted to the Moon. There, the protagonists have various adventures and eventually return to Earth by re-energizing the mountain.

Other notable works by Grousset published under the Laurie pseudonym include De New York à Brest en Sept Heures [New York to Brest In Seven Hours] (1888), which predicted a transatlantic tunnel; Le Secret du Mage [The Secret Of The Magician] (1890), in which evidence of an advanced prehistoric is discovered; Le Rubis du Grand Lama [The Ruby Of The Great Lama] (1894), which features a steam-powered flying island; Atlantis (1895), which describes how the mythical kingdom has survived under a glass dome at the bottom of the sea near the Azores; Le Maître de l'Abîme [The Master Of The Abyss] (1905), which features a revolutionary submarine, and finally Spiridon le Muet [Spiridon The Mute] (1907), a remarkable novel about a human-sized, intelligent ant. The character of Spiridon, depicted as a non-human alien, gifted with great knowledge, an insatiable scientific curiosity but no human feelings or emotions, the victim of mankind’s petty jealousies and racial fears, is a striking departure from the Vernian influence that permeated the rest of Laurie’s works.

[edit] Selected Bibliography

Le Rêve d'un Irréconciliable (As Paschal Grousset) (1869)
Les Cinq Cent Millions de la Begum (With Jules Verne) (1879)
L'Étoile du Sud [The Southern Star] (With Jules Verne) (1884)
L'Héritier de Robinson [Robinson Crusoe's Heir] (1884)
L'Épave du "Cynthia" (With Jules Verne) (1885)
Les Exilés de la Terre [Exiled From Earth] (1887; transl. as The Conquest Of The Moon (1889))
De New York à Brest en Sept Heures (1888; transl. as New York to Brest In Seven Hours (1890))
Le Capitaine Trafalgar (1888)
Le Secret du Mage (1890; transl. as The Secret Of The Magician (1892))
Axel Eberson (1891)
Le Rubis du Grand Lama [The Ruby Of The Great Lama] (1894)
Un Roman dans la Planète Mars [A Novel On Planet Mars] (1895)
Atlantis (1895; transl. as The Crystal City Under The Sea (1896))
Le Géant de l'Azur [The Giant Of The Azure] (1903)
Le Filon de Gérard [Gerard's Claim] (1903)
L'Oncle de Chicago [The Uncle From Chicago] (1903)
Le Tour du Globe d'un Bachelier [A Graduate Around The World] (1904)
Le Maître de l'Abîme [The Master Of The Abyss] (1905)
Spiridon le Muet [Spiridon The Mute] (1907)