France honors Jules Verne in 2005, 100 years after his death. The author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is one of the world's most translated writers. This exhibition in France's naval museum recreates the world of the Nautilus and allows us to discover Verne the visionary, whose writings inspired scientists as well as budding explorers. Verne, who lived in the coastal city of Nantes as a boy, enjoyed watching the ships coming and going and dreamed of adventure. He is thought to have taken off on a boat as a youth and was an avid sailor all his life, though perhaps not an "explorer." He quickly grasped the importance of new machines and diving suits displayed at the Universal Exposition of 1867 (and at the current exhibition) and from there his imagination reached the depths of the ocean.
Jules Verne, le Roman de la mer. March 9 to August 31. Musée National de la Marine. Palais de Chaillot. Open daily. 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116. Metro Trocadéro.
http://www.musee-marine.fr/
