J.-H. Rosny aîné was the pseudonym of Joseph Henri Honoré Boex (1856-1940), a French author who is considered one of the founding figures of modern science fiction. Born in Brussels in 1856, he wrote in the French language, together with his younger brother Séraphin Justin François Boex under the pen name J.-H. Rosny until 1909. After they ended their collaboration Joseph Boex continued to write under the name Rosny aîné (Rosny the Elder).Rosny aîné was very much like H. G. Wells or Olaf Stapledon in his concepts and his way of dealing with them in his novels. He was the second most important figure after Jules Verne in the history of modern French science fiction. Because his writing was not translated into English before after his death, and his readers did not always understand his science fiction novels, his impact on the early evolution of the genre was limited. Rosny penned five prehistoric novels : Vamireh (1892), Eyrimah (1893), the world-renowned classic La Guerre du Feu better Le Félin Géant (The Giant Cat) (1918) (sometimes known as Quest known as Quest for Fire (1909) which served as the basis for the famous 1981 movie (Academy Award for Makeup); of the Dawn Man) and Helgvor du Fleuve Bleu (Helgvor of the Blue River) (1930). In it, he combined the notions of modern drama with the ability to depict Man's early days. In 1897, Joseph Boex was named to the French Légion d'honneur and in 1903 was named to the first jury of the Prix Goncourt along with his brother. Rosny aîné remained involved with the Académie Goncourt and in 1926 became its president. Romain Rolland nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928 and 1933. Joseph Boex died in Paris in 1940.