Codex manuscriptus Codex manuscriptus 2949-0510 2949-0502 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/CM.2949-0510-2025-6-134-149 Research Article Articles Jules Verne: On the Issue of “De-Hetzelization” Chekalov Kirill A. codeximli@yandex.ru 24 04 2025 6 134 149 novel character resolution manuscript text editing transformation Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The published texts of Jules Verne’s works, issued by the renowned publisher and literary figure Pierre-Jules Hetzel, do not always align with the au- thor’s original intentions. The most regrettable case is that of the novel “Paris in the 20th Century” (“Paris au XXe siècle”), which was decisively rejected by Hetzel and only published in 1994. Other novels by Verne were also subject to significant revisions. This article examines certain aspects of the so-called “de-hetzelization” (a term proposed by prominent Verne scholar W. Butcher), which refers to the process of restoring Verne’s works to their original versions. By comparing the published versions of the novels “The Adventures of Captain Hatteras” (“Les Aventures du capitaine Hatteras”), “The Mysterious Island” (“L’Île mystérieuse”), and “The Chancellor” (“Chancellor”) with their original manuscripts (preserved in the National Library of France and the Media Library of Nantes), one can partially grasp the interaction between the strategies of the publisher and the writer, and trace Hetzel’s interventions into the texts at various levels. However, the practical implementation of “de-hetzelization” proves to be a highly challenging task. For contemporary publishers in Russia, these difficulties are further compounded by errors and inaccuracies in translations.   1. Prashkevich, G.M. Zhiul‘ Vern [Jules Verne]. Мoscow, Molodaya gvardiya Publ., 2013. 356, [1] p. (Series “Zhizn’ zamechatel’nykh liudei” [“The Lives of Remarkable People”]) (In Russ.) 2. Chekalov, K.A. “Vernost’ Vernu. ‘Vosstanovlennaya’ versiya romana ‘Dvadcat’ tysyach l’e pod vodoj’” [“Yearning for Verne. ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas’ ‘Restored’ Edition”]. Studia Litterarum, vol. 8, no. 3, 2023, pp. 322–337. (In Russ.) 3. Chekalov, K.A. “Trudnosti i zagadki perevodov ‘Tainstvennogo ostrova’” [“Problems and Mysteries of ‘The Mysterious Island’s’ Translations”]. Shagi / Steps, vol. 5, no. 3, 2019, pp. 138–151. (In Russ.) 4. Butcher, W. Jules Verne Inédit: les Manuscrits Déchiffrés. Lyon, ENS éditions, 2015. 488 p. (In French) 5. Butcher, W. “Les Episodes Fantômes de Vingt Mille Lieux sous les Mers.” Europe, no. 909–910, 2005, pp. 121–136. (In French) 6. Butcher, W. “Pour Une Déhetzelisation de l’Île Mystérieuse.” Les Voyages Extraordinaires de Jules Verne: de la Création à la Réception. Textes Réu- nis par M.-F. Melmoux-Montaubin et C. Reffait. Amiens, Encrage, 2012, pp. 137–154. (In French) 7. Compère, D. Jules Verne écrivain. Genève, Droz, 1991. 184 p. (In French) 8. Isibashi, M. Le Projet Verne et le Système Hetzel. Amiens, Encrage, 2014. 343 p. (In French)