To most individuals in the 21st century, French science fiction is synonymous with Jules Verne. Few know that Verne is just one of many French authors who engage science fiction concepts. Much like Verne, other nineteenth century authors, including Alexandre Dumas and Voltaire, wrote les voyages extraordinaires, the stories of incredibly journeys that SF scholars consider to be the precursors to contemporary SF. Today Writers such as Pierre Barbet and Gerard Klein, filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and comic book artists such as the Humanoids have thrilled minds with beautifully complex stories. These works, and all French science fiction, have something extra, something ephemeral and mysterious. Critics call this quality in French stories (that makes us ask, consider and imagine) the “fantastique.”

As speculative, fantastic and lasting as these stories may be, science fiction critics disagree as to whether French SF has ever existed. In his book, La science-fiction française au XXe siècle (1900-1968): Essai de socio-poétique d'un genre en émergence, French scholar Jean-Marc Gouanvic claims that French SF, as a genre, has been tucked away under the mainstream French literature, marginalized by its own confused attempts to defy or mimic dominant American SF. However, SF scholar George Slusser, in his review of Gouanvic's work, claims that this very marginalization is what distinguishes French SF: it has all the narrative characteristics of French literature coupled with the "fantastique."

Whether we agree with Gouanvic or Slusser, both critics above will testify that these works have not been given the academic study they warrant. It is the purpose of this website to provide an introduction to French SF. Scholars, fans and casual surfers will find within these pages links to information on many aspects of French SF available through Georgia Tech, as well as jumping off points into deeper study.This essay, written by French author Gerard Klein, is entirely in French and will not be easily understood by those unfamiliar with the language. It concerns the lack of new French SF publications.