Jules Verne was a French poet, playwright, and novelist and is the second most-translated author in the world. Though his writings were highly popular within his own lifetime he was often dismissed as an author of genre-based fiction or as a children's author. This perception however has slowly changed and he has taken his rightful place in French literature. With his genius now recognized his influence has been felt by those in scientific and literary fields alike. He is most famous for his novels Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days.