Jules Verne French writer Jules Verne (February 8, 1828 - March 24, 1905) pioneered the science fiction literary genre. He published many plays, essays, short stories, and poems during his lifetime, but is best known for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Days, and A Journey to the Center of the Earth. Today, he is one of the most translated authors in the world.