Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905), French novelist and pioneer of the science fiction genre. Verne wrote several tales which involved future technologies, such as submarines, aircraft and space vehicles. His 'novels of the imagination' were well received, and provided inspiration to later science fiction writers. His best-known works include Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873).