When I was born in 1920, the auto was only 20 years old. Radio didn't exist. TV didn't exist. I was born at just the right time to write about all of these things.
As you've probably picked up by now, famed American author Ray Bradbury passed away last night (Tuesday, June 5) at the age of 91. He is best known through works such as The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes, as well as driving fantasy into literature after it having been looked at merely as a lesser genre.
“I'm not a science fiction writer,” he was frequently quoted. “I've written only one book of science fiction [Fahrenheit 451]. All the others are fantasy. Fantasies are things that can't happen, and science fiction is about things that can happen.”
Rather than running on in some lengthy pre-obituary article, I figured I'd make things more interesting by putting together a few lesser known facts on Bradbury that you'll probably find interesting, be a fanatic, or simple fan. Check out the list, throw up your thoughts:
1. Despite his focus on the mechanization of the future, Bradbury expressed angst over Fahrenheit 451 being re-published as an E-Book, saying that they "smell like burned fuel," and telling Yahoo "Prick up your ears and go to hell" when approached about the topic (BBC). He went on to express his distaste for the present that once was his future:
"We have too many cellphones. We've got too many internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now."
2. He requested that his headstone read "Author of Fahrenheit 451" (Test Pattern).
3. Despite living most of his life in L.A., Bradbury never got his driver's license:
"We can eliminate cars and get back to public transit - I've lived in Los Angeles 64 years and I don't have a driver's license. Cars have destroyed cities. And the reason there's traffic on the freeway is because the freeway is there. Freeway driving has nothing to do with real business needs - it's an excuse for getting out of the office" (Wired).
4. A carnival entertainer named "Mr. Electro" touched Bradbury on the nose with an electrically charged sword in 1932, and told him to "live forever," a charge (no pun) that would resonate throughout Bradbury's life in relation to his daily writing schedule (Ray Bradbury: Story of a Writer).
5. Unfortunately, he was touched by former president George W. Bush while accepting the National Medal of Arts award:
Follow JT Langley on Twitter: GlantonSlang
Follow Ology Music On Twitter: Music_Ologists (We'll Follow You Back, Friend)
[The Los Angeles Times]
Comments (1)