Two Years' Vacation
Encyclopedia
Two Years' Vacation is an adventure novel by Jules Verne
, published in 1888
. The story tells of the fortunes of a group of schoolboys stranded on a deserted island in the South Pacific
, and of their struggles to overcome adversity. In his preface to the book, Verne explains that his goals were to create a Robinson Crusoe
-like environment for children, and to show the world what the intelligence and bravery of a child was capable of when put to the test.
" section of the French
Magasin d’Éducation et de Récréation by Parisian publisher Hetzel
. It was also published in book form in two volumes in June and early November of that year. An illustrated double volume with a colour map and a preface by Verne was released in late November.
between 1888 and 1889.
In 1889 a two-volume English-language
book titled A Two Year's Vacation was published by Munro in the United States
. Later the same year, a single-volume abridged edition in the United Kingdom
was released by Sampson Low under the title of Adrift in the Pacific.
In 1890, from February 22 through March 14, the Boston Daily Globe newspaper serialized Adrift in the Pacific; the Strange Adventures of a Schoolboy Crew.
In 1965 the I. O. Evens version of the Sampson Low translation was published in England (ARCO) and the U.S. (Associated Publishers) in two volumes: Adrift in the Pacific and Second Year Ashore.
In 1967 a new modified and abridged translation by Olga Marx with illustrations by Victor Ambrus
titled A Long Vacation was published by Oxford University Press in the United Kingdom and Holt, Rinehart & Winston in the United States.
In 1967 Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman
made a loose adaptation under the title The Stolen Airship / Ukradená vzducholod.
In 1969 an Australian film produced, directed and written by Mende Brown entitled Strange Holiday credited Jules Verne for the story.
In 1982 an Japanese studio Toei Animation
under the title of Adrift in the Pacific .
In 1987 a made-for-TV animation was produced by the Japanese studio Nippon Animation
under the title of The Story of Fifteen Boys .
The story starts with a group of schoolboys aged between eight and thirteen on board a schooner
moored at Auckland
, New Zealand
, and preparing to set off on a six-week vacation. With the exception of the oldest boy Gordon, an American, and Briant and Jacques, two French brothers, all the boys are British.
While the schooner's crew are ashore, the moorings are cast off under unknown circumstances and the ship drifts to sea, where it is caught by a storm. Twenty-two days later, the boys find themselves cast upon the shore of an uncharted island, which they name "Chairman Island." They remain there for the next two years until a passing ship sinks in the close vicinity of the island. The ship had been taken over by mutineer
s, intent on trafficking weapons, alcohol, and drugs. With the aid of two of the surviving members of the original crew, the boys are able to defeat the muntineers and make their escape from the island, which they find out is close to the Chile
an coast (Hanover-Island
located at 50°56’ S, 74°47’ W).
The struggles for survival and dominance amongst the boys were to be echoed in William Golding
's Lord of the Flies
, written some 66 years later.
The World God Only Knows.
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
, published in 1888
1888 in literature
The year 1888 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Grant Allen - The Devil's Die**The White Man's Foot*Edward Bellamy - Looking Backward*Rolf Boldrewood - Robbery Under Arms...
. The story tells of the fortunes of a group of schoolboys stranded on a deserted island in the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, and of their struggles to overcome adversity. In his preface to the book, Verne explains that his goals were to create a Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
-like environment for children, and to show the world what the intelligence and bravery of a child was capable of when put to the test.
Publication
As with most of Verne's works, it was serialised (in twenty-four parts between January and December 1888) in the "Extraordinary JourneysVoyages Extraordinaires
Les Voyages Extraordinaires was a publishing title affixed to the novels and non-fictional writings of French author and science fiction pioneer Jules Verne...
" section of the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Magasin d’Éducation et de Récréation by Parisian publisher Hetzel
Pierre-Jules Hetzel
Pierre-Jules Hetzel was a French editor and publisher. He is best known for his extraordinarily lavishly illustrated editions of Jules Verne's novels highly prized by collectors today...
. It was also published in book form in two volumes in June and early November of that year. An illustrated double volume with a colour map and a preface by Verne was released in late November.
Translations and adaptations
An English translation of the book was serialised in 36 installments in the Boy's Own PaperBoy's Own Paper
The Boy's Own Paper was a British story paper aimed at young and teenage boys, published from 1879 to 1967.-Publishing history:The idea for the publication was first raised in 1878 by the Religious Tract Society as a means to encourage younger children to read and also instil Christian morals...
between 1888 and 1889.
In 1889 a two-volume English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
book titled A Two Year's Vacation was published by Munro in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Later the same year, a single-volume abridged edition in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was released by Sampson Low under the title of Adrift in the Pacific.
In 1890, from February 22 through March 14, the Boston Daily Globe newspaper serialized Adrift in the Pacific; the Strange Adventures of a Schoolboy Crew.
In 1965 the I. O. Evens version of the Sampson Low translation was published in England (ARCO) and the U.S. (Associated Publishers) in two volumes: Adrift in the Pacific and Second Year Ashore.
In 1967 a new modified and abridged translation by Olga Marx with illustrations by Victor Ambrus
Victor Ambrus
Victor Ambrus , is an illustrator best known for his regular appearances on the Channel 4 archaeology television series Time Team, where he visualises how the sites being excavated may have once looked...
titled A Long Vacation was published by Oxford University Press in the United Kingdom and Holt, Rinehart & Winston in the United States.
In 1967 Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman
Karel Zeman
Karel Zeman was a Czech film director, artist, production designer and animator. Because of his creative use of special effects and animation in his films, he has often been called the "Czech Méliès."-Life:...
made a loose adaptation under the title The Stolen Airship / Ukradená vzducholod.
In 1969 an Australian film produced, directed and written by Mende Brown entitled Strange Holiday credited Jules Verne for the story.
In 1982 an Japanese studio Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
under the title of Adrift in the Pacific .
In 1987 a made-for-TV animation was produced by the Japanese studio Nippon Animation
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....
under the title of The Story of Fifteen Boys .
Plot summary
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
moored at Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and preparing to set off on a six-week vacation. With the exception of the oldest boy Gordon, an American, and Briant and Jacques, two French brothers, all the boys are British.
While the schooner's crew are ashore, the moorings are cast off under unknown circumstances and the ship drifts to sea, where it is caught by a storm. Twenty-two days later, the boys find themselves cast upon the shore of an uncharted island, which they name "Chairman Island." They remain there for the next two years until a passing ship sinks in the close vicinity of the island. The ship had been taken over by mutineer
Mutineer
Mutineer is an album by American singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, released in 1995. .-Track listing:All tracks composed by Warren Zevon, except where indicated.#"Seminole Bingo" – 3:10...
s, intent on trafficking weapons, alcohol, and drugs. With the aid of two of the surviving members of the original crew, the boys are able to defeat the muntineers and make their escape from the island, which they find out is close to the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an coast (Hanover-Island
Hanover Island
Hanover Island is an island in the Patagonian Archipelago in Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. Its area is 812 km².In popular fiction the island is featured in Jules Verne's book 'Two Years' Vacation'...
located at 50°56’ S, 74°47’ W).
The struggles for survival and dominance amongst the boys were to be echoed in William Golding
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
's Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results...
, written some 66 years later.
In popular culture
Deux ans de vacances is the first book Shiori Shiomiya reads from the shelves of the school library during a flashback to her childhood in the animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
The World God Only Knows.