Jules Verneとは？「SFの父」の誕生日で学ぶ英語のimagination（想像力）
フランスの小説家ジュール・ヴェルヌは1828年2月8日、港町ナントで生まれた。弁護士の父のもとに育ち、法律を学ぶためにパリへ渡ったが、文学への情熱を抑えきれず作家の道を選んだ。彼は「the Father of Science Fiction（SFの父）」と称され、英語の「imagination（想像力）」という概念を体現した人物だ▼ヴェルヌの代表作『Journey to the Center of the Earth（地底旅行）』『Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea（海底二万里）』『Around the World in Eighty Days（八十日間世界一周）』は、英語圏でも広く親しまれている。「submarine（潜水艦）」「exploration（探検）」「adventure（冒険）」といった英語の重要単語は、彼の作品を通じて世界中に広まった。科学と物語を融合させた彼の手法は、英語の「science fiction（サイエンスフィクション）」というジャンルそのものを生み出した▼驚くべきことに、ヴェルヌは潜水艦や宇宙旅行、テレビ会議といった技術を、それらが実現するはるか前に作品の中で描いていた。NASAの宇宙開発に携わった科学者たちも、少年時代にヴェルヌの作品から「inspiration（インスピレーション）」を受けたと語っている。彼は世界で2番目に翻訳された作家であり、英語学習者にとって「vocabulary（語彙）」を広げる宝庫でもある▼きょう2月8日はジュール・ヴェルヌの誕生日。彼が少年時代に父に誓った「travel only in imagination（想像の中だけで旅をする）」という言葉は、やがて世界中の読者を未知の世界へと導いた。遠い未来を夢見たSFの父に思いを馳せ、英語の「dream（夢）」と「vision（ビジョン）」の力を感じる一日だ。
【英語訳】What Does Jules Verne Mean? Learn English Imagination on the Birthday of the Father of Science Fiction!
French novelist Jules Verne was born on February 8, 1828, in the port city of Nantes. Raised by a lawyer father and sent to Paris to study law, he could not suppress his passion for literature and chose the path of a writer. He is known as “the Father of Science Fiction” and embodies the English concept of “imagination.”
Verne’s masterworks—Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the World in Eighty Days—are widely beloved in the English-speaking world. Important English words such as “submarine,” “exploration,” and “adventure” spread worldwide through his works. His method of fusing science with storytelling essentially created the genre of “science fiction” itself.
Remarkably, Verne depicted technologies such as submarines, space travel, and videoconferencing in his works long before they became reality. Scientists involved in NASA’s space programs have said they received “inspiration” from Verne’s works in their youth. As the second most translated author in the world, his works are a treasure trove for English learners looking to expand their “vocabulary.”
Today, February 8, is Jules Verne’s birthday. The words he pledged to his father as a boy—”travel only in imagination”—eventually guided readers around the world into unknown realms. On this day, as we reflect on the Father of Science Fiction who dreamed of the distant future, let us feel the power of English “dream” and “vision.”
