Mendalla
One of the greats is gone...
Posted on: 06/06/2012 14:36
Ray Bradbury, one of the great writers of the past half century+ has passed away at 91. Best known as a writer of science fiction novels and short stories, he also wrote for TV and movies, including the classic 1956 film of "Moby Dick" directed by John Huston. His best known novel was probably the dystopian Fahrenheit 451 but many of his works were adapted for films and TV and there was even a Bradbury anthology series on TV for a while.
Some personal favorites of mine:
The Martian Chronicles - an episodic or collection of related stories (depends on how you look at it) about the colonization of Mars but not in a technical scientific way. Rather, it uses the human colonists and the indigenous Martians to explore broader themes.
"The Sound of Thunder" - a classic time travel short story
"The Foghorn" - moody story of a strange night in a lighthouse, sort of adapted for cinema as The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
The film version of his novel Something Wicked this Way Comes is pretty good but I've never actually read the novel. There's also a decent TV miniseries adaptation of The Martian Chronicles that I watched when it was first broadcast in the eighties. Not sure if it's out on video or not.
http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/sci-fi-author-ray-bradbury-dies-at-91
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Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 06/06/2012 17:05
R.I.P. Ray Bradbury. I sing the body electric!
gecko46
Posted on: 06/07/2012 10:41
Ray Bradbury is one of my favourite SF writers along with Arthur C. Clarke.
A visionary and literary giant is gone.....
I taught Fahrenheit 451 in English classes on several occasions. Enjoyed Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked this Way Comes, Illustrated Man and his many anthologies of short stories, to mention a few.
SG
Posted on: 06/07/2012 11:35
Ray Bradbury as a science fiction writer never did it for me. I am not a fan of the genre.
As a writer of American literature, yes...
His essays were brilliant.
As a playwright, Falling Upward (a comedy no less) deserves kudos from me for content and cause.
Something Wicked This Way Comes had to have inspired those who wrote in the genre, the likes of Stephen King.
Fahrenheit 451 and the book burning future... dare we look at today where TV and the internet destroys interest in reading literature, which leads to a perception of knowledge as being composed of factorids and partial information devoid of any context.
Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer....wonderful.
I recall watching The Halloween Tree and thinking it was brilliant, again Ray Bradbury.
RIP and yes we lost one of the best writers of American literature the world has ever known or will likely ever know again.
Mendalla
Posted on: 06/07/2012 12:15
Love your reflections on Bradbury, SG. Big
Ray Bradbury as a science fiction writer never did it for me. I am not a fan of the genre.
As a writer of American literature, yes...
Ultimately, while I am a big fan of speculative fiction (sf, fantasy, horror), this is what really puts Ray Bradbury on top for me. Yes, his stories are full of classic sf/fantasy/horror tropes but he's often using them as a means to a greater end. This isn't your schlocky pulp s-f but s-f as literature at its best. Martian Chronicles is really about humanity, not Martians, and its ending spells that out in great, screaming neon letters. Fahrenheit 451 is as much about the future as 1984 and A Handmaid's Tale. It's really cautionary social satire and commentary by projecting a future based on the present. At the same time, many of his best works (e.g. Martian Chronicles) still hold up as s-f (meaning speculative fiction moreso than science fiction) and inspire the kind of wonder, exploration, and imagination that good s-f should inspire.
Mendalla
LBmuskoka
Posted on: 06/10/2012 07:28
Gone in body, perhaps, but will live on in books ...
Is Death important? No. Everything that happens before Death is what counts. And we've done fine tonight. Even Death can't spoil it.
(Something Wicked This Way Comes )