H. G. Wells

H. G. Wells was a British writer who was born on September 21, 1866 in Bromley, Kent, England. He was the son of a shopkeeper and a domestic servant, and had a difficult childhood marked by poverty and family troubles. He showed an early interest in reading and writing, and won a scholarship to study at the Normal School of Science in London, where he learned biology under Thomas Henry Huxley, a famous advocate of Darwinism. Wells began his literary career as a teacher and a journalist, but soon turned to fiction as a way of expressing his ideas and imagination. He wrote his first novel, The Time Machine, in 1895, which was an instant success and established him as one of the pioneers of science fiction. He followed it with other novels that explored the possibilities and consequences of scientific and social innovations, such as The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds (1898), The First Men in the Moon (1901) and The Shape of Things to Come (1933). He also wrote novels of realism and satire, such as Kipps (1905), Tono-Bungay (1909) and The History of Mr Polly (1910), as well as short stories, essays, history books and political pamphlets. Wells was not only a prolific writer, but also a visionary thinker who foresaw many developments of the 20th century and beyond. He predicted the advent of airplanes, tanks, nuclear weapons, television, space travel and the World Wide Web. He also advocated for social reform, world peace, human rights and international cooperation. He was one of the founders of the Fabian Society, a socialist group that influenced the Labour Party in Britain. He also participated in various organizations and movements that aimed to create a new world order based on reason and justice. He was the president of PEN International from 1933 to 1936, an association of writers that promotes freedom of expression and cultural exchange. Wells had a complex and turbulent personal life. He married twice and had several affairs with women who inspired some of his characters. He had four children from different mothers, whom he did not always acknowledge or support. He suffered from diabetes in his later years and died on August 13, 1946 in London at the age of 79. His ashes were scattered from an aircraft over the English Channel. Wells is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers and thinkers of all time. His works have influenced many authors, artists, scientists and politicians. He has been called the father of science fiction by some critics and fans. He has also been honored with various awards and recognitions, such as being nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times, being included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register for his manuscript of The War of the Worlds, and having a crater on Mars named after him.