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Albert Robida
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The Twentieth Century (Early Classics Of Science Fiction) Paperback – March 17, 2004

by Albert Robida (Author), Arthur B. Evans (Editor), Philippe Willems (Translator, Contributor)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
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The Twentieth Century―a unique blend of objets d'art and pulp fiction, science fiction and satire―was initially published in 1882 to great acclaim. Abundantly illustrated by the author, the story presents a panorama of society in the century to come. The story opens in the spring of 1952 as Hélène Colobry, niece of mega-banker Raphael Ponto, has just graduated from a private provincial school and needs to find a career. This highly original futuristic fantasy is a cross between "The Jetsons" and the novels of Charles Dickens: it focuses on the daily life of a bourgeois family living in the technology-driven world of tomorrow―where trips to the market are made by aircar and where women argue politics with their husbands via videophone. The book opened new frontiers in speculative fiction with its superb graphics and its evocative text.
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  1. Print length
    434 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Wesleyan University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 17, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    7 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780819566805
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0819566805
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Although largely forgotten now, the French writer Albert Robida was a pioneer of science fiction. ...(H)is 1882 roman d'anticipation The Twentieth Century (is) a funny, sometimes cynical, frequently prophetic soap opera about a young woman who embarks upon a career search in the future worlds of 1952, gets caught up in a revolutionary struggle, and winds up having a brand-new continent named after her...."―Joshua Glenn, Boston Sunday Globe

"The Twentieth Century is the literary equivalent of discovering King Tut's tomb and marveling that such wonderful things were there for all these years but concealed. Wesleyan's edition will allow us to see at last one of France's hidden treasures."―Paul Alkon, Professor of English, University of Southern California

Review

"The Twentieth Century is the literary equivalent of discovering King Tut's tomb and marveling that such wonderful things were there for all these years but concealed. Wesleyan's edition will allow us to see at last one of France's hidden treasures." ―Paul Alkon, Professor of English, University of Southern California

"Robida's funny and surreal drawings are well known: now at last we have the story to go with them. The climax, where a sixth continent is created in the Pacificreaches heights of glorious absurdity!"―Brian Aldiss, author of Billion Year Spree

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0819566802
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wesleyan University Press; First Edition (March 17, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 434 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780819566805
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0819566805
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.18 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

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Albert Robida

Albert Robida

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
6 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kathleen
5.0 out of 5 stars I was elated to find this book in English. ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2017
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I was elated to find this book in English. My mothers uncle wrote this book in French. I have found it interesting as his view of the future has somewhat evolved.
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Dave_42
5.0 out of 5 stars Early Science Fiction Looks Into The Future
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2011
Jules Verne is often viewed as one of the creators of the genre of Science Fiction, but there is another French author who is mistakenly overlooked for his contributions. Albert Robida produced the incredible "Le Vingtième Siecle" ("The Twentieth Century") which was published in 1883. Robida's future is full of wonderful inventions and predictions, some of which are very accurate (tourism, pollution, etc.) and some of which were nowhere near the mark. Also included are Robida's illustrations, and Robida is, perhaps, the first SF artist. Regardless, Robida's imagination is a good partner for Verne's Voyages Extrodinaires which Verne attempted to keep well grounded in what was definitely possible.

This edition of "The Twentieth Century" by Albert Robida from Wesleyan University Press is the First English Edition of the book, and as far as I am concerned is the best of their "Early Classics of Science Fiction" series thus far. The eleventh book in this excellent series brings together an exciting and interesting work which has never had an English Translation before with a superb introduction and supporting documentation that make this a real five-star effort. I have loved this series from the start, so it was certainly not a given that this would be the best of the first eleven books in the series.

"The Twentieth Century" opens in the year 1952 and is focused on Hélène Colobry, the niece of banker Raphael Ponto. The story follows Hélène's search for what she wants to do, with her uncle pushing her in different directions. Not surprisingly, a key factor in the story is the environment, and Robida envisions some wondrous technology and some massive political and societal changes in the seventy years between when he wrote the work and when it takes place.

Among the predictions which amaze are: the world becoming media saturated, with news and entertainment merging and advertisements dominating broadcasts. He was a bit early in his prediction, but it is continuing to become more and more accurate. The tunnel under the British Channel is a very specific prediction which also came true later. Telecommunications are another prediction, though not as bold since the Telephone was in existence at the time, just nowhere near as predominate as Robida makes it, and Robida does predict the merging and homogenizing of cultures, as well as the dominance of multinational corporations.

Predictions that have yet to come true are the total equality of women in the workplace, and of course Robida's political predictions are very far out there, with the Chinese taking half the U.S., and Germany the other half, with a Mormon state squeezed between the two. He also has Italy turning into an amusement park, and other large changes as well. Oddly enough he does predict the Chinese civil war, but given the rest of his predictions are so far off it is difficult to give him much credit for that. Nevertheless, his attempts are an early example of including politics in an SF novel.

All in all, this is a wonderful example of early science fiction, from an author who is largely unknown to those who do not read French. Philippe Willems contributes an excellent introduction as well as a superb translation. One can only hope that Wesleyan uses the same team to provide an English translation of "La Guerre au Vingtième Siècle" (1887) and "Le Vingtième Siècle. La Vie Électrique" (1890) which would add tremendously to both the series as well as the awareness of Robida's works. No doubt about this book, it is definitely a five-star effort.
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Dr. Feelgood
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2013
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For the lovers of turn of the century sci fi writers (like Verne and H.G.Wells) this book is a must have. This particular edition is fantastic, as it includes all of Robida's original illustrations.
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Clopos
4.0 out of 5 stars Très curieux et surprenant
Reviewed in France on March 18, 2013
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Les inventions du Français Robida préfigurent le travail de Jules Vernes, de Hergé (Tintin), des films de science-fiction et de notre 21e siècle. Y figurent déjà les principes de la vidéo, de Skype, des reportages TV en direct et bien d'autres inventions.
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