Captain Nemo_ The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius - Kevin J Anderson [195]
Verne bristled and sat up across from the publisher’s desk. He put his elbows on the now-ignored galleys. “Romance? What could a frivolous romance possibly have to do with my stories?”
Hetzel folded his fingers together and looked intently at his visitor. “In each novel, you have brave explorers and intelligent engineers -- yet you rarely include a true love element.”
Verne fumed. “But in Journey to the Centre of the Earth, my character is engaged to be married. He thinks of his fiancée often. Graubwen . . . yes, I believe her name was Graubwen.”
Hetzel dismissed the defense. “She is mentioned a few times in the entire novel, and appears in the flesh but once. No, Jules, I am talking about a genuine relationship, true emotions and heartfelt desires. Let the reader see two people who love each other, not just give lip-service to mutual adoration.”
Verne narrowed his eyes and sniffed. He and his publisher had experienced occasional disagreements about the content of his prodigious output, and in his heart Verne knew that Hetzel was usually right, even when he dared not admit it.
“Jules, your novels are full of fascination, but empty of passion.”
Now, though, the suggestion brought to mind Verne’s own marriage with Honorine, and the loss of Caroline Aronnax. From childhood, he’d been convinced that Caroline was destined to be the real love of his life -- and he had not let go of that fantasy. Of course, he’d never gotten around to purchasing the coral necklace either, the one he had promised her in the marketplace on Ile Feydeau. By now he could have procured her a thousand of them. . . .
“My tales are not about such things,” Verne insisted. “They are about science and knowledge and exploration, extending our boundaries and traveling to new horizons.” He felt his face warm with a flush. “A love story would only get in the way of the adventures.” He looked away from his publisher and lowered his voice. “Besides, what do I know of romance?”
Hetzel sat back at his desk and took out a cigar, knowing his author well enough to see that it was fruitless to press the matter further. At least for now. “So, how goes the Robinson?” he asked, changing the subject.
The “Robinson” was Verne’s long-planned desert-island book, his homage to Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson, combined with André Nemo’s real-life adventures as a castaway. “I have decided to rewrite it from the start.”
The publisher puffed on his cigar and smiled. “Glad to hear it.” When Hetzel had seen the first draft, he’d complained that it was a mere adventure story about survivors marooned on a desert island, with nothing original or thought-provoking. By now Verne’s readers had come to expect cutting-edge science, intriguing speculation, and marvelous technological wonders . . . and the first version of the “Robinson” novel had contained none of that.
“I’ve had a wonderful idea about how to fix it.” Verne stood up, full from the lunch and the wine. “Rest assured that when I deliver the manuscript, you’ll be quite pleased. It will be my best novel since 20,000 Leagues.”
Hetzel beamed. “Well, there’s a challenge for you.”
Verne said a quick farewell and left. He had writing to do.
For years since the publication of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Verne’s readers had continued to shower him with letters and praise, ecstatic in their adoration for the character of Captain Nemo. Even as a fictional person, Nemo still left Verne feeling envious and dissatisfied with his own accomplishments.
What is it about the man?
Upon finishing the sub-marine book, he had considered the story complete. He had described the Nautilus sinking in the terrible maelstrom off Norway, forever vanished along with its brooding captain and mysterious crew beneath the dark, cold waters.
But his readers begged to hear more of the dark genius. Nemo, Nemo! They