Author:	Jules Verne
Copyright:	1994
Date Reviewed:	3/18/01
Rating:	4.0

This book demonstrates that even the greatest writers can publish horrible works, especially at the beginning and end of their careers. Paris in the Twentieth Century takes place 100 years after the author wrote the story. In this world, anything having to do with the arts or literature has been completely devalued. The story follows Michael, a somewhat happy-go-unlucky man of letters who just received a degree in Latin. He is a disgrace to his extended family for not having majored in something useful like industry or finance. Michael fails at one job after another and until the end takes his poverty in stride. He spends most of his time cheerfully moaning the demise of literature with the few other people who also despair at the world as it is. They reference dozens of writers from previous generations, which has little meaning to me today. Finally, all to quickly, Michael runs out of money and options and fades away.

The main problem with the book is the dialog it uses to portray the characters. They may be in an unjust world for their interests but they take it so lightly that we are hard pressed to see any hardships they may be suffering. One professor talks about a class with only one student and his impending release as if he were reading the gossip column rather than facing a whole life change. The book did predict some elements of communism with uncanny insight. Centralized finance and education and the loss of artistic individuality are tenants of the Stalin error. However, so is the human degradation but that does not come across here.