'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. That combination of similarity and contrast form an interesting, appealing and eminently readable diptych. Robida’s future is full of wonderful inventions and predictions, some of which are very accurate (tourism, pollution, etc.) and some of which were nowhere near the mark. The two novellas share a similar utopian philosophy and sarcastic distaste for certain aspects of modern civilization, despite the drastic variance between their respective imagery. Albert Robida produced the incredible Le Vingtime Siecle (The Twentieth Century) which was published in 1883. Featuring the fanciful notion of a sailor stranded in the midst of centaur civilization the story holds up a satirical mirror to the less savory features of European society. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (EARLY CLASSICS OF SCIENCE FICTION) By Albert Robida at the best online. Its futurological elements introduce several significant innovations to supplement the telephonoscope and the commonplace use of private aircrafts and flying houses.Ĭentaur Island (1912) which is a fine example of modern Gulliveriana. Destined for a career as a notary, but bored by his studies he began doing caricatures. Evans Albert Robida Born in Compigne, France, Albert Robida was the son of a carpenter. The history of the twentieth century sketched out in Robida’s earlier books is modified in order to accommodate the Great War, the aftermath of which plays a considerable part in the back-story. The Twentieth Century Albert Robida, translated by Philippe Willems, edited by Arthur B. The Twentieth Century ( Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2004) is illustrated in a classically beautiful pen and ink style, common in the 1800s. In 1965 (1920) is a amicable and breezy work, with only a slight macabre edge in its comedy, recapitulating and updating the technological innovations of The Electric Life.

The Twentieth Century by Albert Robida