With A to Z Classics, discover or rediscover all the classics of literature. Contains Active Table of Contents (HTML) and ​in the end of book include a bonus link to the free audiobook. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (French: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne, published in 1870. It is about the fictional Captain Nemo and his submarine, Nautilus, as seen by one of his passengers, Professor Pierre Aronnax.