Towards 2028 - How can we celebrate Jules Verne in 2028?

[John Lamb]

This is an open ended question on the forum that I hope itwill still being added to in 20 months time (yes it is that close)... 

...If You look at other important Verne anniversaries of his birth (1828) and death (1905)  there was a massive celebration of Verne in books, stamps, articles and documentaries in both 1978 and 2005. A wonderful worldwide celebration of world culture. This time I fear it will be much diminished. 

Ideas gratefully received but... 

...We should be beware of apathy (we on the forum will, believe me, be the most guilty of this)...

...We should be beware of political correctness ( the snub of Verne and most French culture, at the Paris Olympic opening ceremony) as a result of some highlighting of the negative (Off on a Comet) and the ignoring the positive (Dick Sand). .. 

...We should beware our downplaying and not taking advantage of modern relevance of Verne (Artemis II). NASA gave us a massive boost...what should we do with it?... 

...Beware the treating of Verne as just like any other author... he is different... he secretly networked...and if you refuse to believe this then all your research is diminished for it... 

So, out of our some 200 members, I repeat the question ... How can we celebrate Jules Verne in 2028?

Best John

[quentin skrabec]

the French never really cared for Verne like Americans

[Ariel Pérez Rodríguez]

Well, the Jules Verne Hispanic Society will hold its Fifth International Vernian Congress, and I’m sure there will also be many publications that year—not only from the Society, but also from numerous publishing houses around the world. How that this sounds to you?

Regards,

Ariel

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Jules Verne Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to jules-verne-fo...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/6a5764a2-a4fb-45c9-9e7e-3de708dff9bfn%40googlegroups.com.

[John Lamb]

Sounds good. Perhaps there can be a new link opened up which lists all these events / publications / exhibitions / commemorative stamps and celebrations etc for 2028 ) as we get to know about them. 

One idea would be that anyone posting a new item (numbered perhaps) would copy and paste all the previous items  and then add their own, so that they can all be viewed in one place (just one line per item?). In this way members of the forum may have the opportunity to contribute in some way both to the knowledge of these events and perhaps to the events themselves.

Something like this.  

Celebrating Jules Verne in 2028. 

1.  Fifth International Vernian Congress. Vigo Spain (Jules Verne Hispanic Society). 

2. Opening of the enlarged Grand Musée Jules Verne (Nantes).

3. ?????

I have got to say there are many parallels with my home town of Birkenhead (builder of the vast majority of Captain Nemo's Nautilus) and a town like Vigo, visited by Verne on two occasions. Birkenhead built six of Verne's fictional ships and is the location (New Ferry, Birkenhead) of the iconic illustration  of the Great Eastern in A Floating City. I will try to set a small exhibition up in Birkenhead in 2028. Watch this space. 

[comperedaniel]

Bonjour/Hello

Je vous rassure : il se prépare de beaux événements en France pour 2028. 

Amitiés

Daniel

Rest assured: some wonderful events are planned in France for 2028. 

Best regards.

Daniel

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/b17ae0f2-85d3-4260-902e-7ed53014cf21n%40googlegroups.com.

[Ana Klimchynskaya]

Daniel,

I am delighted to hear that! 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/3CE9F461-99EF-4697-960C-4903DE01C16E%40orange.fr.

[John Lamb]

Dear Daniel, thank you, I look forward to hearing about the various celebrations as they are announced. Best John

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/CAHFv7gUa9vXSPMovMVZwo3M%2BBuBHX7fM1wV88ntVmWSk_CSfFw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Mark J. Sanderson]

I'm still in favor of establishing the Jules Verne Trail that marks Phileas Fogg's race around the world with descriptive plaques. For example, Ogden Union Station is currently being renovated, so I've suggested they include a plaque; the person I mentioned this to responded enthusiastically, but I don't know what has come of it.

All the best,

Mark

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/CAJ0ud43x5%2BxCmFpmEUnLD8fL_acSuipQtTUtsq2-z-GwwHOhQg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Ana Klimchynskaya]

That sounds like an amazing idea! I love it. 

By the way, has anyone attempted to recreate Fogg's around-the-world trip since Nellie Bly? 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/CAKjboa6Z4L4_bdTjvcFYpU59a-tUxJ3QTYzmO1TpG4dK6E6LWg%40mail.gmail.com.

[mken...@aol.com]

Michael Palin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_80_Days_with_Michael_Palin#Synopsis

Cheers,

Matthias

[Ana Klimchynskaya]

Fascinating! Thank you. Methinks it's time to do it again. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/9e4906f7-3c3e-4e7d-bb8b-013ac69115b6n%40googlegroups.com.

[mken...@aol.com]

It came to my mind to also have a look at Wikipedia. Lots of journeys are listed in the article about the novel, for example Palle Huld’s journey, but it seems the vast majority took different routes, including Huld. (So Palle’s journey seems to pale before Palin’s, right? :) But Nicholas Coleridge, the great-great-great-great-great nephew of Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, followed Fogg’s route – four years before Palin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_Eighty_Days#Real-life_imitations

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Coleridge

[Garmt de Vries-Uiterweerd]

Among many, many others. Attached is an article I wrote for the Verniaan a few years ago. It's in Dutch, but the names of the Foggian or not-so-Foggian circumnavigators are in bold. The serious ones are:

Nellie Bly

Elizabeth Bisland

George Francis Train (more than once!)

Gaston Stiegler

James Willis Sayre

Palle Huld

Jean Cocteau and Marcel Khill

Sidney Perelman

Nicholas Coleridge 

Manuel Leguineche 

Michael Palin

Dara Hassanzadeh

I believe Hassanzadeh was the last real attempt, back in 2003. It's about time we had another go!

Cheers,

Garmt

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/9e4906f7-3c3e-4e7d-bb8b-013ac69115b6n%40googlegroups.com.

[John Lamb]

Here is my mini biopic of George Francis Train.

Best John

[John Lamb]

Dear Ana,

The mini 22 page biopic on George Francis Train links in to Jules Verne, Nathaniel Hawthorne and the tram connecting the ferry terminal to the great park in The Floating Island (see the other attachment provided for you) ... they are all linked and all these connections (as have been 100% of my research findings so far) have been carried out without the aid of A.I. 

Best John

[William Butcher]

Thanks, Garmt, for the patient erudition, Bill

On Thursday, 4 June 2026, Garmt de Vries-Uiterweerd <garmtd...@gmail.com> wrote:

Among many, many others. Attached is an article I wrote for the Verniaan a few years ago. It's in Dutch, but the names of the Foggian or not-so-Foggian circumnavigators are in bold. The serious ones are:

Nellie Bly

Elizabeth Bisland

George Francis Train (more than once!)

Gaston Stiegler

James Willis Sayre

Palle Huld

Jean Cocteau and Marcel Khill

Sidney Perelman

Nicholas Coleridge 

Manuel Leguineche 

Michael Palin

Dara Hassanzadeh

I believe Hassanzadeh was the last real attempt, back in 2003. It's about time we had another go!

Cheers,

Garmt

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to jules-verne-forum+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/9e4906f7-3c3e-4e7d-bb8b-013ac69115b6n%40googlegroups.com.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Jules Verne Forum" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to jules-verne-forum+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/CAFuNt7eVcpboHpCzYmbmeSur--eGJmPe2bOkhUQE-1mQOoNzTw%40mail.gmail.com.

[dsa...@me.com]

Personally, I’d like to see someone recreate the around the world following the 37°S parallel trip from The Children of Captain Grant.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/CAHFv7gUnUUn9aAB1eF8D39UCFfCrLS3xKSXS5Styb5X%2BwJi82w%40mail.gmail.com.

[Alex Kirstukas]

Splendidly done, Garmt!

One more to add: the British artist John Burningham (1936-2019), who did the trip in 1970. 

His book about his trip, like Palin’s, is called simply Around the World in 80 Days - leading to much confusion on the internet about whether it’s an illustrated edition of Verne’s novel!

On Jun 3, 2026, at 11:02 PM, Garmt de Vries-Uiterweerd <garmtd...@gmail.com> wrote:



Among many, many others. Attached is an article I wrote for the Verniaan a few years ago. It's in Dutch, but the names of the Foggian or not-so-Foggian circumnavigators are in bold. The serious ones are:

Nellie Bly

Elizabeth Bisland

George Francis Train (more than once!)

Gaston Stiegler

James Willis Sayre

Palle Huld

Jean Cocteau and Marcel Khill

Sidney Perelman

Nicholas Coleridge 

Manuel Leguineche 

Michael Palin

Dara Hassanzadeh

I believe Hassanzadeh was the last real attempt, back in 2003. It's about time we had another go!

Cheers,

Garmt

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/CAFuNt7eVcpboHpCzYmbmeSur--eGJmPe2bOkhUQE-1mQOoNzTw%40mail.gmail.com.

[John Lamb]

Dear Mark, re the plaques for celebrating the locations in Around the World in Eighty days, I think it is a stunning idea. In Liverpool, the Customs House where Fogg spent the night in a cell before travelling to London was sadly destroyed in World War 2. The site is up for redevelopment and I could put it to the developers. A series of numbered plaques of uniform design all relating to one another would be a unifying force but would need serious funding perhaps as part of the 2028 celebrations. Best John. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/25896E2E-DFE4-4637-BDD1-4778B280A3C5%40gmail.com.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Jules Verne Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to jules-verne-fo...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/25896E2E-DFE4-4637-BDD1-4778B280A3C5%40gmail.com.

[Mark J. Sanderson]

John, for organization and funding, do you know of any group that could take on the plaque project?

Mark

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jules-verne-forum/CAJ0ud420aDWdFJ0VMS3uHjarV8%3Dt0XbAOia%3DDOtFJOsNGue7Ow%40mail.gmail.com.

[John Lamb]

Dear Mark,

This is a tricky one of course but if we break it down I think it could be done. Looking at the novel let us suppose there are approximately 30 locations worthy of a plaque of uniform size and design (say a circular blue plaque 50 cm across, with the name of the location, a brief explanation of its role in the plot of Around the World in Eighty Days, the number in the journey  /sequence of plaques, a unifying message in world literature and the name of the organisation / individual that made the plaque happen). 

From looking on the internet I think a good quality plaque would cost $1,000 - $2000, but their inherent uniformity and ordering 30 plaques may not necessarily cut costs but allow one of greater quality and durability. So the cost of the plaques (which can theoretically be designed online) would be perhaps $60,000. These would then be 'donated' to the relevant locations in say a dozen countries and I think you would have to add and extra $,1,000 - $3,000 to facilitate their mounting on a suitable building or a simple donation to a local charity. this would give a total cost of the project of say $150,000 to $200,000.

I know the BBC did a similar scheme, this is from A.I. 

To mark the landmark documentary series Black and British: A Forgotten History, the BBC created and placed 20 plaques worldwide. These plaques were installed to commemorate significant, often overlooked sites and figures connected to the history of Black people in Britain and the transatlantic slave trade. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The BBC did not publicly disclose the specific manufacturing or installation costs for these individual plaques, as they were produced as an integrated part of the historical research for the broadcast series. [1, 2].

For organisation and funding, I think there are several avenues.

The United Nations through UNESCO, core initiatives and the Creative Cities of Literature Network - good at international cooperation but they will have other funding priorities.

The French Government - depends to what extent they are supporting the Verne 2028 celebrations and whether they would want to have a global input. However Macron's dog is called Nemo, President Macron is from Amiens and one of his favourite books is 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas. 

Different Verne organisations...not any Verne organisation per se but an individual in those one of those organisations (perhaps a member of this forum) who would act as a sole benefactor and bequeath a permanent memorial plaque which would then bear his name in 30 locations worldwide. 

Crowdfunder on the internet. 

Personally I believe the best way forward would be an individual benefactor (quick funding to give the scheme instant viability), then an appeal to Macron as the best avenue to get the scheme rolling for implementation in 2028 (only 18 months away). Macron could then work with UNESCO to iron out all the political red tape that constitutes putting up 30 plaques in a dozen countries.

The kickstart could well be this forum. Somewhere out there may be a rich benefactor who for deeply personal reasons would wish to kickstart and pay for the scheme. 

To be honest if funding was already there, then I think it would be very straightforward as in the BBC example given above. 

So I think a philanthropical donation and then Macron might be your best bet (having said that Macron might be my best bet too!).

Best John