H.G. Wells (1866–1946) was a prolific writer best known for his genre-defining science-fiction novels, in particular The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man and The Time Machine. A socialist and a member of the Fabian Society, Wells was an outspoken political thinker, and his writings on human rights were incredibly influential – in particular his 1940 essay The Rights of Man, or, What Are We Fighting For?, which is widely acknowledged as laying the groundwork for the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UK’s Human Rights Act.
