Villiers de L'Isle-Adam's The Future's Eve (L'Éve Future, 1886) is a visionary
interrogation of technology, humanity, and ideal love. When Lord Ewald asks his
friend (a fictionized Thomas Edison) to replace Alicia, his flawed lover, Edison births
Hadaly, a lifelike android.
Blending science fiction, Gothic romance and Symbolist philosophy, The Future's
Eve attacks the pursuit of perfection and is considered to be the first popular
depiction of artificial life. It is celebrated for its prescient themes, poetic language,
and its profound commentary on the meeting of human longing and technological
innovation.
By reimagining the text in twenty-first century English, R J Dent carefully preserves
the novel's essence while addressing the linguistic complexities and challenges of the
original novel. This new translation of The Future's Eve revitalises L'Isle-Adam's
1886 text and provides readers with a fresh, accessible, modern English version of
this groundbreaking work which reflects the author's satirical take on science.
