Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 - 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. "Pelham: or The Adventures of a Gentleman" is a novel which describes the life of a young aristocrat, dandy and habitue of high society saloons and gambling houses. The novel, especially the figure of the main character, was conceived by the author, to show how people, internally independent, able to avoid the bad influences of the world.