Magellania
Of the six novels that Jules Verne left unpublished at the time of his death, five were heavily revised and rewritten by his son, Michel. In recent years, two of the original manuscripts have been published as they were left by Verne. Magellania, which is set among the islands at the southern tip of South America, is the third. In it, Verne follows the exploits of Kaw-djer, a European whose rallying cry is "Neither God nor master!" When Chile takes possession of the remaining free islands, he contemplates suicide, but is deterred by the need to save a large group of shipwrecked pioneers. Verne sketches out theories of politics and self-government in this condensed tale; it is clearly half-finished, but still powerful in its portrayal of a man seeking the last unsettled corner of the earth.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.