 | |
| Author | José Moselli |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | John Schoenherr |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Science fiction Utopia |
| Published | 1925 |
| Publisher | Sciences et Voyages |
| Publication place | France |
The End of Illa (French: La fin d'Illa) is a novella by the French writer José Moselli, published in 1925.
The novel begins with marines discovering a manuscript on a Pacific atoll, which reveals the existence of an advanced civilization that no longer exists today. The narrator, the military chief Xié, recounts the last days of the city of Illa when the city, led by its dictator Rair, went to war against the neighboring city Nour.
Classified as scientific marvel and utopian literature, this novel reinterprets the myth of Atlantis. José Moselli addresses themes of technological advance and its social consequences. In effect, the installation of a dictatorship and the moral decadence that accompanies scientific progress lead progressively to the self-destruction of the brilliant civilization of Illa.
The story, published initially in serial form in the magazine Sciences and Voyages between January 29 and July 9, 1925, is illustrated by the artist André Galland. The novel was republished numerous times in France during the second half of the 20th century, but was not translated into English until the 21st century.