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The Extraordinary Adventures of Foundling Mick
Jules Verne's rediscovered Irish novel, from the collections of the National Library of Ireland, is a heart-warming story of a young orphan's trials and tribulations in the late nineteenth century. Published in full by the Royal Irish Academy for the first time since its 1895 debut in English, it is a fascinating description of and commentary on nineteenth century Ireland. The Extraordinary Adventures of Foundling Mick takes readers on a tour of Ireland and her social classes. Mick's travels include visits to Westport, Galway, Limerick, Tralee, Cork, and Belfast, all of which are beautifully described. On his journey, he meets beggars, thieves, farmers, and landlords. Finally, our hero reaches Dublin where his fortunes thankfully change for the better. Often described as Verne's tribute to Charles Dickens, this book also shows the Frenchman's affection and respect for Ireland and her people.
238 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1893
About the author
Jules Verne
7,347 books12.3k followersNovels of French writer Jules Gabriel Verne, considered the founder of modern science fiction, include
Journey to the Center of the Earth
(1864) and
Around the World in Eighty Days
(1873).
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 21, 2016
Las aventuras de hormiguita, a pesar de las constantes miserias y problemas que sufre, es una muy buena historia para conocer la Irlanda de siglos pasados, y también sirve de ejemplo de superació, así como de las ganas de vivir. El 80% de nosotros nunca nos ha pasado ni la mitad de lo que sufrió hormiguita y a pesar de eso, nos vivimos quejando y viendo todo lo malo que tiene nuestro mundo; pero él no, Hormiguita sigue su camino hasta construir con esfuerzo su futuro.
Obras como están me agradan mucho, porque nosotros vivimos en esta época pero de no ser por los libros, nunca podríamos conocer el mundo antes del día en que nacimos. Irlanda tuvo problemas de hambre y miseria muy grandes, y gracias a todos estos sucesos es que el mundo progresa, evitando los errores que ya se han cometido antes.
Recomendado este libro de Verne, que no es de ciencia ficción, pero donde su estilo narrativo y descriptivo nos hace volar para imaginar que estamos viviendo allí.
Obras como están me agradan mucho, porque nosotros vivimos en esta época pero de no ser por los libros, nunca podríamos conocer el mundo antes del día en que nacimos. Irlanda tuvo problemas de hambre y miseria muy grandes, y gracias a todos estos sucesos es que el mundo progresa, evitando los errores que ya se han cometido antes.
Recomendado este libro de Verne, que no es de ciencia ficción, pero donde su estilo narrativo y descriptivo nos hace volar para imaginar que estamos viviendo allí.
January 26, 2020
Книжката ми попадна случайно и това, което ме накара да я прочета, е името на Жул Верн. Макар да не е на нивото на "Капитан Немо" и другите му велики истории, книжката увлича. Наивна е, но пък печели с възможността човек да усети малко от Ирландия от преди 200 години.
Встрани от това, явно издателството е работила без грам редактор и коректор. Кошмарна работа.
Встрани от това, явно издателството е работила без грам редактор и коректор. Кошмарна работа.
March 26, 2020
Изданието на романа е изключително лошо. Предпечатната подготовка е под всякаква критика. Явно текстът е набран набързо и изобщо не е редактиран. Има десетки грешки на всяка страница. Издателството е "ВИКОМ - КОС".
Ако някой знае друго издание на романа на български, по добре да се насочи към него.
Ако някой знае друго издание на романа на български, по добре да се насочи към него.
February 26, 2026
Me encanta la personalidad de Hormiguita, apesarde todo lo que le pasa, nunca se abandona al dolor
February 27, 2025
Credo di essere l’unica persona al mondo ad essere arrivata alla mia età senza aver letto nulla di Jules Verne e di iniziare la conoscenza di questo autore mastodontico della letteratura francese con questo romanzo per lo più sconosciuto. Trovato in un mercatino tempo fa, lo avevo preso per integrare la collezione di mio padre (che in gioventù aveva divorato praticamente tutto quello che Verne aveva scritto). Non avevo neppure idea di cosa parlasse (ammettiamolo, 'Avventure di un ragazzo' è un titolo piuttosto brutto e che non dice niente), anche perché non vi era la trama sul retro. Per lungo tempo è rimasto nel dimenticatoio. L’ho poi ripreso in mano per caso ed ha raggiunto velocemente il mio comodino.
Ho letto che questo libro viene considerato un omaggio di Verne a Dickens, io lo definirei piuttosto la risposta irlandese (fatta da un francese) a Dickens.
Non vi sono dubbi sulla posizione politica che Verne sposa nel libro, né che con queste pagine egli faccia il suo inno per un’Irlanda libera ed indipendente, finalmente priva delle angherie e dei soprusi degli inglesi.
Vi sono mille frasi disseminate nel testo (che è congegnato anche per essere una sorta di guida dell’isola – Verne o l’ha conosciuta molto bene o ha studiato a lungo la sua morfologia e la sua storia) e non è raro imbattersi in dichiarazioni tipo: “Povera Irlanda! Tu non hai affatto trascurato di glorificare l’Altissimo, ma gli uomini di buona volontà ti assicureranno mai la pace, rendendoti l’indipendenza?” oppure “I soldati di Re Giorgio, nell’anno 1798, batterono trentamila ribelli – come eran chiamati coloro che difendevano la loro patria e la loro fede”.
Vengono dapprima raccontate la condizione dei contadini, costretti a pagare tasse assurde per coltivare una terra che non sarà mai loro (storia dei MacCarthy), poi ci si focalizzerà sulla nobiltà fatua e arrogante (i conti Piborne), infine sulla situazione in cui i cattolici erano forzati a lavorare a Belfast (storia di Sissy).
Un quadro storico molto approfondito, disseminato quasi da un senso di scusa da parte della Francia di non essere riuscita ad impedire che tutto questo avvenisse.
Curioso, infine, il richiamo che viene fatto in più di un’occasione alla Guinness che già allora era considerata uno dei prodotti eccellenti d’Irlanda.
Avendo io fatto una tesi sulla storia dello sport e su come esso sia rinato proprio nell’Ottocento grazie alla riscoperta dello splendore della Grecia antica, non ho potuto fare a meno di notare anche delle frasi sullo sport.
Esso, all’epoca, era visto come qualcosa di esclusivo per la nobiltà e anche qui, in effetti, lo pratica solo l’odiosissimo conte Ashton (il figlio di Piborne), con una sorta di puzza sotto il naso. Lo sport è qualcosa solo per ricchi (parlo di Gran Bretagna, perché discorso diverso è in Usa, dove, per esempio, il pugilato è praticato dai più poveri, per cercare fortuna – vedi 'Cuori ribelli' con Tom Cruise).
Infine molto ricco e vario il vocabolario, con molte parole desuete che mi hanno entusiasmato (per fare qualche esempio: zimarra, abiezione, mota, prosapia, scansia). Riportiamo i libri lì dove dovrebbero essere. Un luogo di cultura che tende verso l’alto e verso il bello, per innalzare l’anima.
Per la recensione completa visita il mio blog: https://dilettanicastro.blogspot.com/...
Ho letto che questo libro viene considerato un omaggio di Verne a Dickens, io lo definirei piuttosto la risposta irlandese (fatta da un francese) a Dickens.
Non vi sono dubbi sulla posizione politica che Verne sposa nel libro, né che con queste pagine egli faccia il suo inno per un’Irlanda libera ed indipendente, finalmente priva delle angherie e dei soprusi degli inglesi.
Vi sono mille frasi disseminate nel testo (che è congegnato anche per essere una sorta di guida dell’isola – Verne o l’ha conosciuta molto bene o ha studiato a lungo la sua morfologia e la sua storia) e non è raro imbattersi in dichiarazioni tipo: “Povera Irlanda! Tu non hai affatto trascurato di glorificare l’Altissimo, ma gli uomini di buona volontà ti assicureranno mai la pace, rendendoti l’indipendenza?” oppure “I soldati di Re Giorgio, nell’anno 1798, batterono trentamila ribelli – come eran chiamati coloro che difendevano la loro patria e la loro fede”.
Vengono dapprima raccontate la condizione dei contadini, costretti a pagare tasse assurde per coltivare una terra che non sarà mai loro (storia dei MacCarthy), poi ci si focalizzerà sulla nobiltà fatua e arrogante (i conti Piborne), infine sulla situazione in cui i cattolici erano forzati a lavorare a Belfast (storia di Sissy).
Un quadro storico molto approfondito, disseminato quasi da un senso di scusa da parte della Francia di non essere riuscita ad impedire che tutto questo avvenisse.
Curioso, infine, il richiamo che viene fatto in più di un’occasione alla Guinness che già allora era considerata uno dei prodotti eccellenti d’Irlanda.
Avendo io fatto una tesi sulla storia dello sport e su come esso sia rinato proprio nell’Ottocento grazie alla riscoperta dello splendore della Grecia antica, non ho potuto fare a meno di notare anche delle frasi sullo sport.
Esso, all’epoca, era visto come qualcosa di esclusivo per la nobiltà e anche qui, in effetti, lo pratica solo l’odiosissimo conte Ashton (il figlio di Piborne), con una sorta di puzza sotto il naso. Lo sport è qualcosa solo per ricchi (parlo di Gran Bretagna, perché discorso diverso è in Usa, dove, per esempio, il pugilato è praticato dai più poveri, per cercare fortuna – vedi 'Cuori ribelli' con Tom Cruise).
Infine molto ricco e vario il vocabolario, con molte parole desuete che mi hanno entusiasmato (per fare qualche esempio: zimarra, abiezione, mota, prosapia, scansia). Riportiamo i libri lì dove dovrebbero essere. Un luogo di cultura che tende verso l’alto e verso il bello, per innalzare l’anima.
Per la recensione completa visita il mio blog: https://dilettanicastro.blogspot.com/...
December 23, 2022
Set in Ireland, Jules Verne's Dickens-inspired tale represents a French perspective on the British Empire both in politics and literature. Verne takes after Dickens' "working class themes" by focusing on the inadequacy of orphanages, the arrogance of aristocrats, and especially the impoverishment of Ireland under British rule, describing the Irish as friends of the French and enemies of the English. It is particularly reminiscent of Oliver Twist between this approach to social commentary and the use of a hapless and cherubic little boy as the main character, but P'tit Bonhomme displays a kind of hyper-exaggerated heroism in contrast to Twist's more believable and funnier absolute innocence. At the age of four, P'tit Bonhomme knows by instinct that it is shameful to steal or beg for alms, in contrast to Oliver Twist who immediately goes along with Fagin's handkerchief-stealing business. Between this and P'tit Bonhomme's salvation through pulling up his bootstraps and starting a small business, it is a decidedly capitalist book. While the ending where P'tit Bonhomme gathers all the characters who have helped him throughout the book to aid them in return with his newfound wealth is satisfying, by depicting the main character as able to overcome all his problems through hard work, the later chapters implicitly condone the larger society that the first half of the book critiques.
August 22, 2022
(39) P’tit-Bonhomme (Foundling Mick, 1893) (2 volumes) 110K words
The 39th Extraordinary Voyage takes us to Ireland. It's the only book in the series taking place there, although the plight of Irish people will also be a theme in "The Kip Brothers". "Foundling Mick" is the third out of four Verne novels with children as the main characters, the others being "Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen", "Two Years' Vacation" and "Travel Scholarships". This one is inspired by British social novels like Dickens' "Oliver Twist". Verne did homages like that in several of his novels: "Godfrey Morgan" is a parody of Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", "Mathias Sandorf" is inspired by Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo", and two later Verne novels, "An Antarctic Mystery" and "The Castaways of the Flag" are sequels, respectively, to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" and Johann David Wyss' "The Swiss Family Robinson".
First read or reread?: First read for me.
What is it about?: Foundling Mick is an orphan growing up in Ireland. Overcoming misery, hunger and a number of obstacles, Foundling Mick and another orphan whose life he had saved, start a small business that proves profitable. Seeking larger opportunities, they move to Dublin, where Foundling Mick hopes to make his fortune and use it to help the good people who helped him along the way.
This is another atypical novel within Verne's body of work. Instead of being a story of travel and adventure, or a science fiction tale, this is about the life of a young orphan growing up in impoverished Ireland.
The story is inspired by the tradition of British social novels, particularly Charles Dickens, whose work Verne admired (he once said that he had read all of Dickens’ work 10-times over). Another possible influence is the "rags to riches" stories of Horatio Alger Jr.
The depiction of the poverty, misery and privations that the main character and many other people in Ireland went through is quite vivid. Young orphans were mistreated and exploited, or cared for in "ragged schools" which often were not much better. We also witness the plight of the farmers, who didn't own the land and had to pay a rent to their British landlords, subject to eviction whenever they could not pay because of a bad harvest, and also the harsh conditions for those who worked in factories.
The main character, whose birth name, if he ever had it, is unknown, is called throughout the novel by his nickname. In the original French he is called P’tit-Bonhomme, which would translate literally to "Little Lad" or "Little Fellow", but in the Spanish translation I read he is called Hormiguita ("Little Ant").
Even though this is not a travel novel, the circumstances of the titular character's life take him to different parts of Ireland, which allows Verne to give a complete depiction of the island and some of its inhabitants. Verne is sympathetic towards the Irish people's desire for independence, depicting how foreign landlords who rarely set foot in Ireland took the fruits of the work of Irish farmers.
Some parts of the novel are quite bleak, but there also better, more hopeful moments, particularly in the later part of the novel, when the orphan's good head for business starts to pay off.
I felt that at the beginning of the novel, the main character was too precocious for his tender age. Granted that under those circumstances children are forced to grow up fast, but I felt it was a bit too much to be realistic. Fortunately, that annoyance disappeared soon once the main character got a little older. He was still a precocious child, but to a more believable extent.
One thing that caught my attention reading this novel, and other novels of this kind like "Oliver Twist", is how attitudes towards poverty and crime have changed. The main characters of these 19th century novels, although they live in poverty and suffer hunger, are depicted as having an innate moral instinct that keeps them from stealing or other forms of dishonesty, which separates them from most of the people around them. Possibly if the character stole, he would not be considered worth cheering for, while in modern novels we tend to be much more understanding of how poverty may push good people towards petty crime.
Enjoyment factor: I was dubious at the beginning of the story, because I felt the main character was not believable, as he spoke and acted much older than his age. However that soon stopped being an issue once the character got slightly older, and I found myself enjoying the story. I liked the variety in the hero's adventures and misadventures, which kept the story dynamic and entertaining. When things started to get better, it was satisfactory because of how hard the path had been to get there.
Next up: Captain Antifer
See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/thread...
The 39th Extraordinary Voyage takes us to Ireland. It's the only book in the series taking place there, although the plight of Irish people will also be a theme in "The Kip Brothers". "Foundling Mick" is the third out of four Verne novels with children as the main characters, the others being "Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen", "Two Years' Vacation" and "Travel Scholarships". This one is inspired by British social novels like Dickens' "Oliver Twist". Verne did homages like that in several of his novels: "Godfrey Morgan" is a parody of Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", "Mathias Sandorf" is inspired by Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo", and two later Verne novels, "An Antarctic Mystery" and "The Castaways of the Flag" are sequels, respectively, to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" and Johann David Wyss' "The Swiss Family Robinson".
First read or reread?: First read for me.
What is it about?: Foundling Mick is an orphan growing up in Ireland. Overcoming misery, hunger and a number of obstacles, Foundling Mick and another orphan whose life he had saved, start a small business that proves profitable. Seeking larger opportunities, they move to Dublin, where Foundling Mick hopes to make his fortune and use it to help the good people who helped him along the way.
This is another atypical novel within Verne's body of work. Instead of being a story of travel and adventure, or a science fiction tale, this is about the life of a young orphan growing up in impoverished Ireland.
The story is inspired by the tradition of British social novels, particularly Charles Dickens, whose work Verne admired (he once said that he had read all of Dickens’ work 10-times over). Another possible influence is the "rags to riches" stories of Horatio Alger Jr.
The depiction of the poverty, misery and privations that the main character and many other people in Ireland went through is quite vivid. Young orphans were mistreated and exploited, or cared for in "ragged schools" which often were not much better. We also witness the plight of the farmers, who didn't own the land and had to pay a rent to their British landlords, subject to eviction whenever they could not pay because of a bad harvest, and also the harsh conditions for those who worked in factories.
The main character, whose birth name, if he ever had it, is unknown, is called throughout the novel by his nickname. In the original French he is called P’tit-Bonhomme, which would translate literally to "Little Lad" or "Little Fellow", but in the Spanish translation I read he is called Hormiguita ("Little Ant").
Even though this is not a travel novel, the circumstances of the titular character's life take him to different parts of Ireland, which allows Verne to give a complete depiction of the island and some of its inhabitants. Verne is sympathetic towards the Irish people's desire for independence, depicting how foreign landlords who rarely set foot in Ireland took the fruits of the work of Irish farmers.
Some parts of the novel are quite bleak, but there also better, more hopeful moments, particularly in the later part of the novel, when the orphan's good head for business starts to pay off.
I felt that at the beginning of the novel, the main character was too precocious for his tender age. Granted that under those circumstances children are forced to grow up fast, but I felt it was a bit too much to be realistic. Fortunately, that annoyance disappeared soon once the main character got a little older. He was still a precocious child, but to a more believable extent.
One thing that caught my attention reading this novel, and other novels of this kind like "Oliver Twist", is how attitudes towards poverty and crime have changed. The main characters of these 19th century novels, although they live in poverty and suffer hunger, are depicted as having an innate moral instinct that keeps them from stealing or other forms of dishonesty, which separates them from most of the people around them. Possibly if the character stole, he would not be considered worth cheering for, while in modern novels we tend to be much more understanding of how poverty may push good people towards petty crime.
Enjoyment factor: I was dubious at the beginning of the story, because I felt the main character was not believable, as he spoke and acted much older than his age. However that soon stopped being an issue once the character got slightly older, and I found myself enjoying the story. I liked the variety in the hero's adventures and misadventures, which kept the story dynamic and entertaining. When things started to get better, it was satisfactory because of how hard the path had been to get there.
Next up: Captain Antifer
See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/thread...
June 21, 2025
.. ή αλλιώς "Ο μικρός, γλυκός καπιταλιστής". Δεν θα πω ποτέ "όχι" σε ιστορίες με παιδιά που πολεμούν το αδιέξοδο, είτε πετυχαίνουν είτε όχι. Ο Μικρούλης εδώ όχι μόνο έπιασε την καλή, αλλά τους βόλεψε όλους. Μάλλον έπιασε την καλή για να τους βολέψει όλους, και αυτό μετράει.
Υ.Γ. Επίσης δεν υπάρχει σελίδα στην οποία ο Βερν δεν μας δείχνει την αποστροφή του για τους Άγγλους. Έτσι για το tea το αναφέρω.
Υ.Γ. Επίσης δεν υπάρχει σελίδα στην οποία ο Βερν δεν μας δείχνει την αποστροφή του για τους Άγγλους. Έτσι για το tea το αναφέρω.
April 3, 2020
Muestra la Irlanda de esa época , recorriendo muchas ciudades, da una idea de lo que es la vida rural, la vida de los pobres, las injusticias sociales de esa época, la actitud superadora y emprendedora entre muchas otras cosas. Por momentos es bastante triste comparado con otras novelas del autor
November 1, 2021
Pre mňa to je nádherný príbeh o živote. Príbeh o tom, že každý človek v živote potrebuje dobrých ľudí, ktorí sa zjavia aj v tých najnešťastnejších obdobiach. Drobček v tomto príbehu je pre mňa naozajstným malým (veľkým) hrdinom 💜
January 13, 2020
Brilliant.
July 21, 2022
Ce poveste
Ilustrațiile sunt misto n-am sa mint
Ilustrațiile sunt misto n-am sa mint
February 9, 2023
Una linda historia, tierna y conmovedora con un final feliz. ¡Julio Verne es una garantía!
June 9, 2025
one of my first books, I was 13 yo... I m gonna read again, I m curios of my perspectives now.
June 23, 2025
Excelente, conmovedor.😎
October 19, 2012
A pesar de ser uno de mis autores favoritos he de reconocer que esta no es una de sus mejores novelas.
Es una historia de superación y esperanza plasmada a través de la vida de un niño irlandés que debe superar numerosas adversidades hasta convertirse en un "hombre de provecho".
En cierto modo el autor utiliza la vida de este niño como una metáfora de la situación de Irlanda a finales del siglo XIX, aquejada de grandes problemas económicos y sociales reflejados en las numerosas hambrunas que se sucedieron durante este siglo y en el sentimiento de independencia con respecto a Inglaterra que existía en esa época.
Aunque los mimbres para hacer una buena historia están ahí el autor no consigue transmitir esta tensión y drama que tiene la historia y en cierto modo se pierde mucho en amplias descripciones de Irlanda y de sus paisajes.
Es una novela recomendable para fans de Julio Verne. ;-)
Es una historia de superación y esperanza plasmada a través de la vida de un niño irlandés que debe superar numerosas adversidades hasta convertirse en un "hombre de provecho".
En cierto modo el autor utiliza la vida de este niño como una metáfora de la situación de Irlanda a finales del siglo XIX, aquejada de grandes problemas económicos y sociales reflejados en las numerosas hambrunas que se sucedieron durante este siglo y en el sentimiento de independencia con respecto a Inglaterra que existía en esa época.
Aunque los mimbres para hacer una buena historia están ahí el autor no consigue transmitir esta tensión y drama que tiene la historia y en cierto modo se pierde mucho en amplias descripciones de Irlanda y de sus paisajes.
Es una novela recomendable para fans de Julio Verne. ;-)
September 22, 2012
s 06-09-12
June 26, 2013
Muy interesante y entretenido
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews