Jules VerneAround The World In Eighty Days Jules Verne was born in the French seaport of Nantes in1828. In 1839, he stowed away on the Coralie, a ship bound for the WestIndies, but was retrieved by his father. His father wanted Jules to become alawyer – as he himself was – and sent his son to Paris in 1848 to train. In Paris, Verne became part of the literary circle ofAlexandre Dumas. In 1852, he passed his law exams and became Secretary to theThéâtre Lyrique, writing several unsuccessful plays. In 1856, Verne married a young widow from Amiens, HonorineMorel, who had two children, and they had one son of their own, Michel. Inorder to support his family, he became a stockbroker on the Paris Bourse. As well as plays, Verne wrote many poems and stories formagazines and in 1854 he published a fantasy novella, MasterZacharius. But his first real success came in 1863, with the publication ofFive Weeks in a Balloon, followed in 1864 by Journey to the Centre of the Earth and,in 1865, From the Earth to the Moon. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was published in two parts, in 1869 and 1870. Like many ofVerne’s books, it shows his love of exploration and scientific discovery. Verne was left crippled in 1886 after being shot by hisnephew, Gaston, when he refused him money. But he continued to work, and wrotea total of 67 titles. He died in 1905. Around the World in Eighty Days was Verne’s tenth novel. Itwas published in 1873, at the height of his powers, and it established hispopularity in Britain - and in America, where it was the best seller of theyear, with sales topping a million. It achieved its greatest popularity in the20th century through Michael Todd’s film with David Niven in the title role. Around the World in Eight Days chronicles the dramatic dashfrom continent to continent to win a wager by the eccentric Englishman, PhileasFogg. Fogg is very much a Frenchman’s idea of the English gentleman, a figureof extreme punctiliousness who is quite content to ’let his servant do his sightseeingfor him.’ He is balanced by the excitable and warm-hearted Passepartout - perhaps a Frenchman’s idea of the true Frenchman. The book was written as a serial and ran in the Parisnewspaper, Le Temps, in real time, the story and the journey ending on the sameday at the end of December 1872. Fogg’s journey was followed keenly by readers,and episodes were telegraphed across the Atlantic. It was a time wheninternational tourist travel was becoming increasingly available to a widersection of people, and the details of visas, traveling methods and differingcultural traits was fascinating to the general reader. The story falls easilyinto episodes, and the immediacy of the writing, mirroring the fast moving paceof the action, makes it as gripping today as when it was first written. Notes by Lesley Young Harry Burton Harry Burton is a highly versatile actor. A familiar figurein British theatre, in London’s West End and the Fringe, he has become equallyknown for taking leading operatic roles including Mozart (Figaro and Leporello)and Rossini (Dandini) at the South Bank, the Vienna Festival and on TV. He isalso regularly seen on TV in programs as varied as Soldier, Soldier and Pinter’sParty Time. The Music The music on this cassette is taken from the NAXOS and MARCOPOLO catalogs GRIEG THE WEDDING DAY AT TROLHAUGEN 8.550864 BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Jerzy Maksymiuk DVORÁK SYMPHONY NO 9 FROM THE NEW WORLD 8.550271 Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra/Stephen Gunzenhauser D’INDY TABLEAUX DE VOYAGE ETC 8.223659 Württemberg Philharmonic/Gilles Nopre FLEMISH ROMANTIC MUSIC 8.223418 BRT Philharmonic, Brussels/Rahbari