Happy Birthday, Ray Bradbury!

[eldritchhobbit]

Happy birthday to Ray Bradbury (22 August, 1920 – 5 June, 2012)!

"They began by controlling books of cartoons and then detective books and, of course, films, one way or another, one group or another, political bias, religious prejudice, union pressures; there was always a minority afraid of something, and a great majority afraid of the dark, afraid of the future, afraid of the past, afraid of the present, afraid of themselves and shadows of themselves."
- Ray Bradbury, "Usher II" (1950)



Speaking of Mr. Bradbury, it was my delight last week to sit next to the representative of his British publisher during the fabulous 1939 Retro-Hugo Awards Ceremony, which played out like a period radio broadcast, complete with live band, ads, and War of the Worlds-esque newsflashes about Martian invaders. Here is the Retro-Hugo Award he won for Best Fan Writer.

Comments

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

My mom introduced me to Ray Bradbury when I was in middle school, and I fell promptly in love with his stories. Such an amazing gift he had!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Yes! Incredible talent. I came to him as a child, too, and his way with words really cemented my love of reading and of science fiction, in particular. His deep love of words and ideas was contagious.

[ankh-hpl.livejournal.com]

"The Veldt" was the first real horror story I ever read, I think. What a chilling, poetic writer.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

"The Veldt" was my first Bradbury story, and I was hooked! To this day, that story gives me chills.

"Poetic" is a great way to describe him. There are passages in The Martian Chronicles that are sublime.