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Herbert George Wells, another poster child of prolificacy. Born 1866, wrote dozens of novels - but most importantly IMO, – "devoted his literary talents to the development of a progressive vision on a global scale." His family called him Bertie 😅 you can't escape family https://t.co/VPkHvbugYF https://t.co/qjQytJvCJ8
another mutual of Chesterton and Shaw was HG Wells "He seemed always to be working out a philosophy of human progress" you can see a pattern in how WW1, The Great Depression and WW2 shook intellectuals, turned them (understandably) pessimistic, cynical https://t.co/w8stBIT5zw https://t.co/sOI2PzdJSh
The first page of The War Of The Worlds is superbly written. This book influenced Akira (1998) – the director said it's the book that impacted him most - and Akira in turn influenced goddam everything from The Matrix to Kanye West https://t.co/4ulRiIbgqF https://t.co/A8TKcqEYjo
Bertie's mum was a domestic servant, dad was a gardener & cricketeer. Not a lot of money. They tried starting a shop but failed He broke his leg in a childhood accident, and started reading books from the library to pass the time – and soon became devoted to reading. (Yes! 🔥)
at about 14 years old, his parents sent him to apprentice at a draper – he spent 3 miserable years there, 13-hour-days, sleeping in dorms with other apprentices. this influenced his worldview and his novels. seems like he was self-taught via library books? my fav kinda nerd ❤️
after apprenticing with a chemist, he became a pupil-teacher at a grammar school, taught himself science and latin, and won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science (now part of Imperial College London). He was constantly hungry, thin, malnourished... man, I have feelings https://t.co/6KPrM3iOKN
what a sentence 😂 my man bertie read plato's republic, joined a debating society and started thinking about reforming society the late 1800s were a heady and exciting time to be alive before WW1, Spanish Flu, etc. Science & tech advancements just kept happening– electricity... https://t.co/eq9xnzeS96
"Important public men like yourself are not “common men”. Of course, history alone can show how important this or that public man has been; at all events, you do not look at the world as a “common man”." – Stalin, to HG Wells https://t.co/XerUQHlUpo
"A lifelong habit of thought stands between him and an understanding of Hitler's power." https://t.co/JIXi6E24h4
"Go on muddling, each for himself and his parish and his family and none for all the world, go on in the old way [...] presently I will come back again and take all the fresh harvest of life I have spared." clearly a predecessor to Mass Effect's Reapers https://t.co/5Z1EpomKvw
"The true strength of rulers and empires lies... in the belief of men that they are inflexibly open, truthful, and legal. As soon as government departs from that standard, it ceases to be anything more than "the gang in possession" and its days are numbered." – H.G. Wells
Little Wars https://t.co/MD27lRqvW2
wargaming was invented in prussia and used for military training; attracted attention b/c they beat france in a war in 1870 h.g. wells "developed codified rules for playing with toy soldiers, which he published in a book titled Little Wars." adorable! https://t.co/4P8JrrXUjS https://t.co/1KHOsKLyuz
@QiaochuYuan Got to Bertie via Chesterton via Shaw https://t.co/GBuHgyNTxv
cute/sweet exchange between Wells and Chesterton Wells: if there is a God I hope he'll let me into heaven because I am your friend GKC: my dear HG, if there is a heaven, you will be welcome to it- and not for being my friend, but for being a friend to all men 😭❤️ https://t.co/1J5jcp27gG
from bertie to joyce https://t.co/jmPGKsVru6
