H. G. Wells: The Father of Sci-Fi & The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
pplpod · pplpod
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Show Notes
In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of H. G. Wells, the prolific writer often hailed as the "father of science fiction". Join us as we trace his journey from a miserable apprenticeship at a draper’s emporium to his studies under T. H. Huxley, where a background in biology helped shape his revolutionary "scientific romances".
We dive deep into his most iconic works, including The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The War of the Worlds, examining how he used "the plausible impossible" to ground the fantastic in reality. Beyond fiction, we discuss Wells’s uncanny legacy as a futurist who predicted the advent of tanks, aerial warfare, the atomic bomb, and even a precursor to the World Wide Web he called the "World Brain".
We also uncover the complex man behind the myths: a vocal socialist and Fabian Society member who interviewed Stalin, and a "freethinker" in his personal life who maintained an open marriage while engaging in high-profile affairs with figures like Rebecca West and Moura Budberg. Tune in to understand why George Orwell declared that the modern world would be "perceptibly different" had Wells never existed.