Did You Know? 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Since we were able to spend some time with Captain Nemo yesterday, we'll be featuring some fun facts about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it's author, Jules Verne. Every time I research these facts, I always discover something that I never knew. Often, I learn about something that influenced the writer, or that I can relate to as a writer. Let's see if that's the case this time around.

 Did You Know...

• That 20,000 leagues doesn't refer to the depth that they travel, but to the distance? If you traveled 20,000 leagues, you would circle the Earth six times.
• In the original version, Nemo was a Polish nobleman whose family was killed by Russians?
• The book's sequel, Mysterious Island, reveals Nemo's Indian heritage? This was changed at the request of Verne's publishers, because at the time France was an ally of Russia.
• The book was first published in France in 1870 and was translated into English by Lewis Mercier in 1872?
• The Nautilus accurately foreshadowed today's modern submarines in its high speed capability and covert operations? Unlike today's subs, however, it was able to dive to any depth.
• Jules Verne was way ahead of his time, writing about space, air, and underwater travel among other things? Many of his descriptions of these futuristic adventures were eerily similar to what mankind has actually achieved.
• Verne began writing libretti for operettas before turning to novels?
• In his school days, Verne received writing advice from Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas?
• Verne was shot by his nephew? One bullet hit him in the leg, which left him with a limp for the last 19 years of his life.
• In 1863 Verne wrote a book entitled Paris in the 20th Century? In the book he describes glass skyscrapers, gasoline powered automobiles, high speed trains, and calculators. Verne put the manuscript in a safe for future publication, where it was discovered by his great-grandson in 1989. Weird, huh?

So, that's the scoop. Now, here's the trailer from the Disney version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Funny how Disney has a version for just about every great classic children's story.



Monday Interview Series: Captain Nemo

Today, we're leaving The Deliverers Publishing Headquarters to take to the seas. We're going under the sea--20,000 leagues under the sea--to talk to the mysterious Captain Nemo. We were lucky enough to be invited aboard his wonderful submarine, Nautilus, to spend a little time getting to know him better.

Greg:  Thanks for inviting us to spend a little time with you, Captain. I know that you don't like to talk much about yourself, but I was wondering what you did before taking to the seas.

Nemo:  I was once known as Prince Dakkar, the son of a Hindu Raja of the Indian Kingdom of Bundelkund. In my youth, I watched as the imperial forces of the British Empire conquered my beloved land. In the fighting, I lost both my kingdom and my family.

I decided to devote my life to scientific endeavors in order to put an end to imperialism and lead the world into a new era of peace. To that end, I and those loyal to me worked to devise a fantastic machine, capable of diving to great depths.

Greg:  Let me guess, we're in it, right?

Nemo:  Correct. This wondrous vessel, called Nautilus, is my masterpiece. It is a world unto itself, free of the greed and evil that thrives upon the land. With it I could liberate treasure from sunken ships. With that treasure, I have been able to create a Utopian society where man is free to evolve into a higher order without the mundane thirst for power that drives the surface dwellers. True freedom only exists beneath the sea, for it is the only place beyond the greedy grasp of mankind.

Greg:  Very impressive and admirable ideals, Captain. But isn't it true that you indulge in some of those very things yourself? For instance, haven't you been known to attack ships?

Nemo:  You are correct, up to a point. It is true that I, we--my crew and I--have attacked ships. However, I never attack unless attacked. The vessels that I have sunk were ships of war, those whose express purpose is to wreak havoc upon the weak and oppressed.

No sir, I do not indulge in violence, as you say. Rather, I protect the seas and all creatures in them from the marauding forces of man. Besides, the laws and conventions of the surface dwellers do not apply to those of us who live beneath the waves in tranquility and peace.

Greg:  Okay, okay, no need to get so uptight. I get it. Since we're down here under the waves as your guests we'll just go with it--when in Rome, and all that. It must be an exciting life, living beneath the sea. Can you tell us a little about your adventures?