In The Man Who Found Himself (1936), a starship transports the
protagonist to a world orbiting Proxima Centauri. After a three-year
journey at the speed of light, the hero discovers that that planet is
identical to Earth in every respect, except that its history is
unfolding 40 years in arrears. His arrival offers the 60-year-old
protagonist the opportunity of "finding himself" at 20. Will his
knowledge of future events enable him to manufacture a better life for
his family? The Man Who Found Himself is one of the earliest French
texts to feature interstellar faster-than-light travel and combine the
notions of a trip in time and in space; it is a significant work in the
history of French science fiction.