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CultureQuiet 13d · day 13

Jules Verne's Suppressed 1863 Novel on 1960 Paris Resurfaces Online

An essay on Verne's rejected prophecy of a mechanized, poetry-less Paris in 1960 climbs Hacker News.

newest coverage 12d agosummary written 12d ago3 pieces150 likes & upvotes33 comments Hacker NewsNewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • Verne wrote Paris in the Twentieth Century in 1863, projecting a Paris of 1960 built around science, machinery, commerce and efficiency.
  • His publisher rejected the manuscript as implausible and too bleak, and it remained unpublished for 131 years.
  • The novel was recovered from a family safe and published in France in 1994.
  • A new essay revisiting the book's accuracy about technology — and its blindness to Paris's enduring cultural life — gained traction on Hacker News on 2026-10-30.

Jules Verne AuthorPierre-Jules Hetzel Verne's publisher

Jules Verne's Suppressed 1863 Novel on 1960 Paris Resurfaces Online
blue-continuum.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in 3h at Oct 30, 3 PM; 3 pieces over 14 days (1 article · 2 posts) Oct 30, 3 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Hacker News 1, Newswires 1Oct 30, 6 PM — quietOct 30, 9 PM — quietOct 31, 12 AM — quietOct 31, 3 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 31, 6 AM — quietOct 31, 9 AM — quietOct 31, 12 PM — quietOct 31, 3 PM — quietOct 31, 6 PM — quietOct 31, 9 PM — quietNov 1, 12 AM — quietNov 1, 2 AM — quietNov 1, 5 AM — quietNov 1, 8 AM — quietNov 1, 11 AM — quietNov 1, 2 PM — quietNov 1, 5 PM — quietNov 1, 8 PM — quietNov 1, 11 PM — quietNov 2, 2 AM — quietNov 2, 5 AM — quietNov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietNov 10, 2 AM — quietNov 10, 5 AM — quietNov 10, 8 AM — quietNov 10, 11 AM — quietNov 10, 2 PM — quietNov 10, 5 PM — quietNov 10, 8 PM — quietNov 10, 11 PM — quietNov 11, 2 AM — quietNov 11, 5 AM — quietNov 11, 8 AM — quietNov 11, 11 AM — quietNov 11, 2 PM — quietNov 11, 5 PM — quietNov 11, 8 PM — quietNov 11, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quiet 1
Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6Nov 7Nov 8Nov 9Nov 10Nov 11now · 2:03 AM ET
  1. 1

    Essay on Verne's forgotten prophecy circulates on Hacker News

    An article titled 'Jules Verne's Lost Novel' argues Verne got the machines of 1960 right but never imagined Paris would keep its poets; it reaches the Hacker News front page with 100 points and 23 comments.

    1. 1 outlet Jules Verne's Lost Novel

      first by HN Frontpage, 13d ago

    • hn100@social.lansky.name

      Jules Verne's Lost Novel Link: https:// blue-continuum.com/verne-paris Discussion: https:// news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5 0309314

      hn100@social.lansky.nameMastodon12d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    Manuscript is recovered and published after 131 years — The novel is found in a family safe and finally appears in France, more than a century after it was written.

  3. background

    Publisher Hetzel refuses to print the manuscript — Pierre-Jules Hetzel rejects the book, judging its prophecy implausible and its tone too bleak; Verne puts the manuscript away.

  4. background

    Verne writes Paris in the Twentieth Century — Verne departs from his usual adventure fiction to imagine Paris in the year 1960, extrapolating nineteenth-century faith in science, machinery, commerce and efficiency to its logical extreme.