The Tribulations of a Chinaman in China
Original title: Les Tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine (1879).
Kin-Fo, a well to do Chinese man living in Shang-Hai, is accused by his good friend Wang of not having had any discomforts in his life that would make him appreciate true happiness. When Kin-Fo, receives news that his fortune is lost, he arranges for an insurance policy to be taken out on his life that would cover his death, even by suicide; which he is planning on committing. When Kin-Fo can't bring himself to end his own life, he contracts Wang to do it, by even giving him a letter that will exonerate him of the deed. Then Wang disappears and then Kin-Fo feels much discomfort, especially when he is informed that his fortunes are not lost. He travels around China, hoping to avoid being murdered before the contract expires. His discomfort increases when a note from Wang arrives saying that he regrets not being able to fulfill the contract, so he has turned it over to his old friend Lao-Shen, a notorious character.
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (1828–1905) was a French author who helped pioneer the science-fiction genre. He is best known for his novels A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869–1870), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) and The Mysterious Island (1875).
Jules Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before navigable aircraft and practical submarines were invented, and before any means of space travel had been devised. Consequently he is often referred to as the "Father of science fiction", along with H. G. Wells. Verne is the second most translated author of all time, only behind Agatha Christie, with 4162 translations, according to Index Translationum. Some of his works have been made into films.
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