H. G. Wells: podcast appearances and interviews

Herbert George Wells was an English writer born on 21 September 1866 and died on 13 August 1946. He was a prolific author whose body of work includes more than forty novels and numerous short stories. In addition to fiction, his non-fiction writings encompassed social commentary, politics, history, popular science, satire, biography, and autobiography. Wells is best known for his groundbreaking contributions to science fiction, earning him the title of the "father of science fiction" alongside Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback. His science fiction works often explored themes such as time travel, alien invasions, invisibility, and biological engineering; his novels include The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds. His fiction was characterized by detailed realism combined with extraordinary concepts, following what has been termed "Wells's law." His social realism novels, like Kipps and The History of Mr Polly, depicted lower-middle-class life and contributed to his reputation as a successor to Charles Dickens. Wells's early education in biology and his Darwinian perspective informed his thinking on ethical and social issues. An outspoken socialist and a supporter of eugenics and involuntary euthanasia in his early years, he later recanted some of these views. Throughout his life, Wells also engaged in social critique and futurism, often forecasting technological advancements such as space travel and the World Wide Web. He was a four-time Nobel Prize in Literature nominee and co-founded the charity Diabetes UK, reflecting his commitment to social causes. His work and influence extended across fiction and social thought, making him a prominent figure in 20th-century literature.