General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsR.I.P. Ray Bradbury, Author of Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles
Ray Bradbury author of The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked this Way Comes, and many more literary classics died this morning in Los Angeles, at the age of 91.
We've got confirmation from the family as well as his biographer, Sam Weller.
His grandson, Danny Karapetian, shared these words with io9 about his grandfather's passing: "If I had to make any statement, it would be how much I love and miss him, and I look forward to hearing everyone's memories about him. He influenced so many artists, writers, teachers, scientists, and it's always really touching and comforting to hear their stories. Your stories. His legacy lives on in his monumental body of books, film, television and theater, but more importantly, in the minds and hearts of anyone who read him, because to read him was to know him. He was the biggest kid I know."
More:
http://io9.com/5916175/rip-ray-bradbury-author-of-fahrenheit-451-and-the-martian-chronicles
Ian David
(69,059 posts)cynatnite
(31,011 posts)Ian David
(69,059 posts)MountainLaurel
(10,271 posts)His short stories were my first exposure to science fiction and are still among my favorites.
jimlup
(7,968 posts)Just asking...
Ian David
(69,059 posts)"Fahrenheit 451" author wants title back
Ray Bradbury claims Michael Moore stole movie title
Legendary science fiction writer Ray Bradbury is the author of more than 500 published works, including the 1953 classic Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. In early 2000, he was awarded the National Book Foundations Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. His novel, Fahrenheit 451 sold over 4 million copies. It is a tale of censorship in a future world where totalitarian leaders forbid the written word. In efforts to preserve their history and culture, inhabitants of the state start memorizing all types of books.
Bradbury discussED Fahrenheit 451 with Hardballs guest host Andrea Mitchell, and talked about his displeasure with Michael Moore's documentary of a similar title. Bradbury says Moore mimicked the title without asking his permission.
More:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5324876/ns/msnbc_tv-hardball_with_chris_matthews/t/fahrenheit-author-wants-title-back/
Ray Bradbury May Not Be Who You Think He Is
Jan 18, 2012
Its probably not an exaggeration to say that Ray Bradbury is our most famous living science fiction writer, one of the last of the first wave of great masters who created the golden age of SF. Except, not only is he not really a science fiction writer, hes apparently a world class Luddite who doesnt want anything to do with computers or cell phones or tablets or
anything. Come to think of it, his most famous works tend not to be filled with space ships and aliens but instead dipped in nostalgia for a long-ago vision of small-town America. Dandelion Wine? Something Wicked This Way Comes? Not only that, this paradigm of liberal intellectualism, the guy who wrote Farenheit 451 and was an early vocal opponent of Joe McCarthy, turns out to have aged into a classic Reagan Republican.
In other words, Ray Bradbury is a mess of contradictions. Thats what makes him so interesting.
Daniel J. Flynns article on Bradbury in The American Conservative is a real eye-opener. All those contradictions, and all the ebb and flow of Bradburys career, are probably not what you expect, even if youre a fan. Except, perhaps, for the authors underlying humanity:
Ray Bradbury loves human beings, and his hatred of the digital devices that divide us from us stems from their dehumanizing influence. Sure, they make us more passive and corrode our mental circuits. But of greatest importance, technology, amidst a million obvious benefits, has the overlooked drawback of making human life less human
Bradburys vision of the future germinated from what he saw in the postwar present: gadgeted distractions, screens separating humans from humans, televisions raising children, the vicarious life replacing life itself, leisure time becoming a waste of time. He sensed in which direction the world spun, and he didnt want to go there.
Get reacquainted with Ray Bradbury. Read Revenge of the Nerd. http://www.theamericanconservative.com/blog/revenge-of-the-nerd/
More:
http://www.rd.com/books-entertainment/ray-bradbury-may-not-be-who-you-think-he-is/
SwissTony
(2,560 posts)A certain Mr Shakespeare might claim Ray stole the title from him.
RIP, Ray. Many thanks for the many hours of pleasure you gave me.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)r.i.p.
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)Time to go back to bed and stay there.
RIP Mr. Bradbury
leveymg
(36,418 posts)everything else by him. He also got me started on Heinlein, Clarke, Le Guin and some of the rest of the genre. I still think he's one of the best writers of the bunch.
Much appreciated, Ray. RIP.
donquijoterocket
(488 posts)The appreciation for that and other things.One of the good things to think about is that Bradbury inspired so many people so well it's likely he created his own replacement.
I've been trying to decide if I have a favorite Bradbury, or if like most fans, I have several.Few people get to depart this world knowing they created a classic and Fahrenheit 451 is definitely that as are several other pieces of his.
raccoon
(31,111 posts)Are_grits_groceries
(17,111 posts)My favorite book is Dandelion Wine.
TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)and many of his short stories too were just fabulous.
RT Atlanta
(2,517 posts)"He was the biggest kid I know."
That's really cool and says a lot about the man and his exuberance for life - like a happy child.
Godspeed to Mr. Bradbury and positive thoughts to his family & friends.
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Something Wicked was one of my absolute favourite books as a kid.
Sid
Ohio Joe
(21,758 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)ManyShadesOf
(639 posts)cordelia
(2,174 posts)I enjoyed a lot of his work. Read The Illustrated Man many years ago and loved it.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)CherokeeDem
(3,709 posts)One of the authors I read as a child, who brought me into the world of science fiction and I never left....
Cleita
(75,480 posts)RIP Ray Bradbury.
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)"He was the biggest kid I know."
Anybody who can maintain a 'childlike' enthusiasm and interest in the world at 91 was a lucky man in my book. Sounds like a life well-lived.
RIP Ray Bradbury
Fire Walk With Me
(38,893 posts)jsmirman
(4,507 posts)indeed.
His works definitely made a lasting impression on me very early on.
katty
(11,033 posts)and thank you!
Amaril
(1,267 posts)....I ever read, and it still haunts me.......
All Summer in a Day
http://www.wssb.wa.gov/content/Classrooms/tate/content/freshman/All%20Summer%20In%20a%20Day/story.htm
My grandfather knew him, and Martian Chronicles was the 1st book my grandma gave me as a present when I was a kid. Fahrenheit 451 has just about come true. Prescient, no?
Rest In Peace, Ray... the book-lovers rebellion is just getting started.
horseshoecrab
(944 posts)Perfect daaron!
RIP Ray Bradbury.
horseshoecrab
horseshoecrab
(944 posts)aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)when I was just a little kid in the 1950s. It's a short story about a company that offers people the chance to go back in time to the age of dinosaurs for some big game hunting. But they only can shoot dinosaurs that are about to die, to make sure that history isn't changed. And they're supposed to stay on an elevated walkway that doesn't let them accidentally disturb anything in the Jurassic environment. Unfortunately, one of the tourists goes off the path and accidentally kills a butterfly. When they come back to the present, everything has changed including the English language, all because of one small butterfly.