H.G. Wells was ‘persuaded’ into trying his hand at mass communication

Private letters revealed for the first time show how British novelist H.G. Wells – regarded as one of the fathers of science fiction – had to be repeatedly cajoled into trying his hand at mass communication. The correspondence was revealed in a new set...

Private letters revealed for the first time show how British novelist H.G. Wells – regarded as one of the fathers of science fiction – had to be repeatedly cajoled into trying his hand at mass communication.

The correspondence was revealed in a new set of documents in the online BBC archive, coinciding with a new BBC4 adaptation of The First Men In The Moon.

One of the author’s most famous works, The War of the Worlds, caused panic in America when actor-director Orson Welles read the thriller on national radio on October 30, 1938. His dramatisation made listeners believe the earth was being invaded by little green men from Mars.

Wells was also a teacher, historian and journalist.

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