Paris in The Twentieth Century - Publication Deferred

Publication Deferred

Jules Verne's publisher, Pierre-Jules Hetzel, thought the book's pessimism would damage Verne's then-booming career, and suggested that he wait 20 years to publish it. In a scathing rebuke to Verne, Hetzel writes about a draft of the novel he has just seen:

"I was not expecting perfection — to repeat, I knew that you were attempting the impossible — but I was hoping for something better."

Hetzel was also critical of Verne for not covering new ground with the novel:

"In this piece, there is not a single issue concerning the real future that is properly resolved, no critique that hasn’t already been made and remade before. I am surprised at you ... lacklustre and lifeless."

With that, Verne put the manuscript in a safe where it was forgotten, only to be discovered by his great-grandson in 1989. The original French version was finally published in 1994, and an English translation by Richard Howard was published by Random House in 1996.