Marguerite McClure( m. 1947; her death 2003)Children4SignatureWebsiteRay Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) was an American. He worked in a variety of genres, including, and.Predominantly known for writing the iconic novel (1953), and his science-fiction and horror-story collections, (1950), (1951), and (1969), Bradbury was one of the most celebrated 20th- and 21st-century American writers. While most of his best known work is in, he also wrote in other genres, such as the coming-of-age novel (1957) and the fictionalized memoir (1992).Recipient of numerous awards, including a 2007, Bradbury also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including. Many of his works were adapted to comic book, television, and film formats.Upon his death in 2012, called Bradbury 'the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream'. Bradbury as a senior in high school, 1938Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in, to Esther ( Moberg) Bradbury (1888–1966), a, and Leonard Spaulding Bradbury (1890–1957), a power and telephone of English ancestry.
He was given the middle name 'Douglas' after the actor. Bradbury was related to the U.S.
Scholar Douglas Spaulding and descended from, who was tried at one of the in 1692.Bradbury was surrounded by an extended family during his early childhood and formative years in. An aunt read him short stories when he was a child. This period provided foundations for both the author and his stories. In Bradbury's works of fiction, 1920s Waukegan becomes 'Green Town',.The Bradbury family lived in, during 1926–1927 and 1932–1933 while their father pursued employment, each time returning to. They eventually settled in in 1934 when Bradbury was 14 years old. The family arrived with only US$40, which paid for rent and food until his father finally found a job making wire at a cable company for $14 a week.
This meant that they could stay, and Bradbury, who was in love with Hollywood, was ecstatic. Bradbury attended and was active in the drama club. He often roller-skated through Hollywood in hopes of meeting celebrities. Among the creative and talented people Bradbury met were special-effects pioneer and radio star.
This is the reading of Bradburry's 1951Short Story 'The Pedestrian'. Read by Chris Stockdale. Although Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) became arguably the best-known American science- fiction writer, the majority of his work, which ranges from gothic horror to social criticism, centers on humanistic themes.
Bradbury's first pay as a writer, at age 14, was for a joke he sold to George Burns to use on the radio show. Influences Literature Throughout his youth, Bradbury was an avid reader and writer and knew at a young age that he was 'going into one of the arts.' Bradbury began writing his own stories at age 11 (1931), during the — sometimes writing on the only available paper, butcher paper. In his youth, he spent much time in the in, reading such authors as,. At 12, Bradbury began writing traditional horror stories and said he tried to imitate Poe until he was about 18.
In addition to comics, he loved, creator of, especially Burroughs' series. Impressed him so much that at the age of 12, he wrote his own sequel. The young Bradbury was also a cartoonist and loved to illustrate.
He wrote about and drew his own Sunday panels. He listened to the radio show, and every night when the show went off the air, he would sit and write the entire script from memory.As a teen in, he often visited his mentor and friend science-fiction writer, sharing ideas and maintaining contact. In 1936, at a secondhand bookstore in, Bradbury discovered a handbill promoting meetings of the. Excited to find there were others sharing his interest, Bradbury joined a weekly Thursday-night conclave at age 16.Bradbury cited and as his primary science-fiction influences. Bradbury identified with Verne, saying, 'He believes the human being is in a strange situation in a very strange world, and he believes that we can triumph by behaving morally'.Bradbury admitted that he stopped reading science-fiction books in his 20s and embraced a broad field of literature that included and poet. Bradbury had just graduated from high school when he met Robert Heinlein, then 31 years old. Bradbury recalled, 'He was well known, and he wrote humanistic science fiction, which influenced me to dare to be human instead of mechanical.'
In young adulthood Bradbury read stories published in Astounding Science Fiction, and read everything by, and the early writings of and.Hollywood The family lived about four blocks from the on in, the flagship theater for. There, Bradbury learned how to sneak in and watched previews almost every week. He rollerskated there, as well as all over town, as he put it, 'hell-bent on getting autographs from glamorous stars. It was glorious.' Among stars the young Bradbury was thrilled to encounter were,. Sometimes, he spent all day in front of or and then skated to the to watch the stars who came and went for meals. He recounted seeing, and, whom he learned made a regular appearance every Friday night, bodyguard in tow.Bradbury relates the following meeting with, director of Soviet epic film series, at a award ceremony in Bondarchuk's honor:They formed a long queue and as Bondarchuk was walking along it he recognized several people: 'Oh Mr.
Ford, I like your film.' He recognized the director, Greta Garbo, and someone else. I was standing at the very end of the queue and silently watched this. Bondarchuk shouted to me; 'Ray Bradbury, is that you?' He rushed up to me, embraced me, dragged me inside, grabbed a bottle of, sat down at his table where his closest friends were sitting.
All the famous Hollywood directors in the queue were bewildered. They stared at me and asked each other 'Who is this Bradbury?' And, swearing, they left, leaving me alone with Bondarchuk.
Bradbury's 'Undersea Guardians' was the cover story for the December 1944 issue ofBradbury's first published story was ', which appeared in the January 1938 number of Imagination! In July 1939, Ackerman and his then-girlfriend gave 19-year-old Bradbury the money to head to New York for the in, and funded Bradbury's fanzine, titled. Bradbury wrote most of its four issues, each limited to under 100 copies. Between 1940 and 1947, he was a contributor to 's film magazine, Script.Bradbury was free to start a career in writing, when owing to his bad eyesight, he was rejected admission into the military during. Having been inspired by science-fiction heroes such as and, Bradbury began to publish science-fiction stories in fanzines in 1938.
Bradbury was invited by Forrest J. Ackerman to attend the, which at the time met at in downtown Los Angeles. This was where he met the writers,. In 1939, Bradbury joined 's Wilshire Players Guild, where for two years, he wrote and acted in several plays. They were, as Bradbury later described, 'so incredibly bad' that he gave up playwriting for two decades. Bradbury's first paid piece, 'Pendulum', written with Henry Hasse, was published in the pulp magazine Super Science Stories in November 1941, for which he earned $15.Bradbury sold his first story, 'The Lake', for $13.75 at 22, and became a full-time writer by 24.
His first collection of short stories, was published in 1947 by, a small press in, owned by writer. Reviewing Dark Carnival for the, proclaimed Bradbury 'suitable for general consumption' and predicted that he would become a writer of the caliber of British fantasy author.After a rejection notice from the pulp, Bradbury submitted 'Homecoming' to, which was spotted by a young editorial assistant named. Capote picked the Bradbury manuscript from a slush pile, which led to its publication. Homecoming won a place in the Stories of 1947.In 's, in a study room with typewriters for rent, Bradbury wrote his classic story of a future, The Fireman, which was about 25,000 words long. It was later published at about 50,000 words under the name Fahrenheit 451, for a total cost of $9.80, due to the library's typewriter-rental fees of ten cents per half-hour.A chance encounter in a Los Angeles bookstore with the British expatriate writer gave Bradbury the opportunity to put into the hands of a respected critic.
Isherwood's glowing review followed.Writing Bradbury attributed his lifelong habit of writing every day to two incidents. The first of these, occurring when he was three years old, was his mother's taking him to see 's performance in. The second incident occurred in 1932, when a carnival entertainer, one Mr. Electrico, touched the young man on the nose with an electrified sword, made his hair stand on end, and shouted, 'Live forever!'
Bradbury remarked, 'I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr. Electrico.he gave me a future.I began to write, full-time. I have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago.' At that age, Bradbury first started to do, which was his first great love. If he had not discovered writing, he would have become a magician.Bradbury claimed a wide variety of influences, and described discussions he might have with his favorite poets and writers,.
From Steinbeck, he said he learned 'how to write objectively and yet insert all of the insights without too much extra comment'. He studied for her 'remarkable ability to give you atmosphere, character, and motion in a single line'. Bradbury's favorite writers growing up included, who wrote about the American South, and.Bradbury was once described as a ' ' and is often labeled a science-fiction writer, which he described as 'the art of the possible.' Bradbury resisted that categorization, however:First of all, I don't write science fiction.
I've only done one science fiction book and that's, based on reality. Science fiction is a depiction of the real.
Fantasy is a depiction of the unreal. So is not science fiction, it's fantasy. It couldn't happen, you see? That's the reason it's going to be around a long time—because it's a, and myths have staying power.Bradbury recounted when he came into his own as a writer, the afternoon he wrote a short story about his first encounter with death. When he was a boy, he met a young girl at the beach and she went out into the water and never came back. Years later, as he wrote about it, tears flowed from him.
He recognized he had taken the leap from emulating the many writers he admired to connecting with his voice as a writer.When later asked about the lyrical power of his prose, Bradbury replied, 'From reading so much poetry every day of my life. My favorite writers have been those who've said things well.' He is quoted, 'If you're reluctant to weep, you won't live a full and complete life.' In high school, Bradbury was active in both the poetry club and the drama club, continuing plans to become an actor, but becoming serious about his writing as his high school years progressed. Bradbury graduated from Los Angeles High School, where he took poetry classes with Snow Longley Housh, and short-story writing courses taught by Jeannet Johnson.
The teachers recognized his talent and furthered his interest in writing, but he did not attend college. Instead, he sold newspapers at the corner of South Norton Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. In regard to his education, Bradbury said:Libraries raised me.
I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the and we had no money.
I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.He told, 'You can't learn to write in college. It's a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you do – and they don't.'
Bradbury described his inspiration as, 'My stories run up and bite me in the leg—I respond by writing them down—everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off'.
'Green Town' A reinvention of Waukegan, Green Town is a symbol of safety and home, which is often juxtaposed as a contrasting backdrop to tales of fantasy or menace. It serves as the setting of his semiautobiographical classics Dandelion Wine, and Farewell Summer, as well as in many of his short stories. In Green Town, Bradbury's favorite uncle sprouts wings, traveling carnivals conceal supernatural powers, and his grandparents provide room and board to. Perhaps the most definitive usage of the pseudonym for his hometown, in Summer Morning, Summer Night, a collection of short stories and vignettes exclusively about Green Town, Bradbury returns to the signature locale as a look back at the rapidly disappearing small-town world of the American heartland, which was the foundation of his roots. Cultural contributions Bradbury wrote many short essays on the culture and the arts, attracting the attention of critics in this field, but he used his fiction to explore and criticize his culture and society. Bradbury observed, for example, that Fahrenheit 451 touches on the alienation of people by media:In writing the short novel Fahrenheit 451 I thought I was describing a world that might evolve in four or five decades. But only a few weeks ago, in one night, a husband and wife passed me, walking their dog.
I stood staring after them, absolutely stunned. The woman held in one hand a small cigarette-package-sized radio, its antenna quivering. From this sprang tiny copper wires which ended in a dainty cone plugged into her right ear. There she was, oblivious to man and dog, listening to far winds and whispers and soap opera cries, helped up and down curbs by a husband who might just as well not have been there. This was not fiction.Bradbury stated the novel worked as a critique of the later development of:How does the story of Fahrenheit 451 stand up in 1994?R.B.: It works even better because we have political correctness now. Political correctness is the real enemy these days. The black groups want to control our thinking and you can't say certain things.
The homosexual groups don't want you to criticize them. It's thought control and freedom of speech control.In a 1982 essay, he wrote, 'People ask me to predict the Future, when all I want to do is prevent it'. This intent had been expressed earlier by other authors, who sometimes attributed it to him.On May 24, 1956, Bradbury appeared on television in Hollywood on the popular quiz show hosted. During his introductory comments and on-air banter with Marx, Bradbury briefly discussed some of his books and other works, including giving an overview of ', his short story published six years earlier in under the title 'The World the Children Made'.Bradbury was a consultant for the American Pavilion at the and for the original exhibit housed in 's geosphere at. Bradbury concentrated on detective fiction in the 1980s. In the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s, he also hosted, a televised based on his short stories.Bradbury was a strong supporter of public library systems, raising money to prevent the closure of several libraries in California facing budgetary cuts. He said 'libraries raised me', and shunned colleges and universities, comparing his own lack of funds during the Depression with poor contemporary students.
His opinion varied on modern technology. In 1985 Bradbury wrote, 'I see nothing but good coming from computers. When they first appeared on the scene, people were saying, 'Oh my God, I'm so afraid.' I hate people like that – I call them the neo-', and 'In a sense, computers are simply books. Books are all over the place, and computers will be, too'.
He resisted the conversion of his work into, saying in 2010, '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'. When the publishing rights for Fahrenheit 451 came up for renewal in December 2011, Bradbury permitted its publication in electronic form provided that the publisher, allowed the e-book to be digitally downloaded by any library patron. The title remains the only book in the Simon & Schuster catalog where this is possible.Several comic-book writers have adapted Bradbury's stories.
Particularly noted among these were ' line of horror and science-fiction comics. Initially, the writers plagiarized his stories, but a diplomatic letter from Bradbury about it led to the company paying him and negotiating properly licensed adaptations of his work. The comics featuring Bradbury's stories included, Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Crime Suspenstories, and Haunt of Fear. Bradbury remained an enthusiastic playwright all his life, leaving a rich theatrical legacy, as well as literary. Bradbury headed the Pandemonium Theatre Company in Los Angeles for many years and had a five-year relationship with the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena.Bradbury is featured prominently in two documentaries related to his classic 1950s-1960s era: 's Charles Beaumont: The Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man, which details his troubles with, and his friendships with writers, and most especially his dear friend, as well as Brock's The AckerMonster Chronicles!, which delves into the life of former Bradbury agent, close friend, mega-fan, and editor. Bradbury's legacy was celebrated by the bookstore in Laguna Beach, California, in the 1970s and 1980s. The grand opening of an annex to the store was attended by Bradbury and his favorite illustrator, in the mid-1980s.
The shop closed its doors in 1987, but in 1990, another shop with the same name (with different owners) opened in Carlsbad, California.In the 1980s and 90s, Bradbury served on the advisory board of the. Personal life. Bradbury in December 2009Bradbury was married to Marguerite McClure (January 16, 1922 – November 24, 2003) from 1947 until her death; they had four daughters: Susan, Ramona, and Alexandra. Bradbury never obtained a, but relied on public transportation or his bicycle. He lived at home until he was 27 and married. His wife of 56 years, Maggie, as she was affectionately called, was the only woman Bradbury ever dated.He was raised by his parents, who were themselves infrequent churchgoers. As an adult, Bradbury considered himself a 'delicatessen religionist' who resisted categorization of his beliefs and took guidance from both Eastern and Western faiths.
He felt that his career was 'a God-given thing, and I'm so grateful, so, so grateful. The best description of my career as a writer is 'At play in the fields of the Lord.' 'Bradbury was a close friend of, and Addams illustrated the first of Bradbury's stories about the Elliotts, a family that resembled Addams' own placed in rural. Bradbury's first story about them was 'Homecoming', published in the 1946 Halloween issue of, with Addams' illustrations. Addams and he planned a larger collaborative work that would tell the family's complete history, but it never materialized, and according to a 2001 interview, they went their separate ways. In October 2001, Bradbury published all the Family stories he had written in one book with a connecting narrative, featuring a wraparound Addams cover of the original 'Homecoming' illustration.Another close friend was animator, who was at Bradbury's wedding.
During a 2010 awards tribute in honor of 's 90th birthday, Bradbury spoke of his first meeting Harryhausen at Forrest J Ackerman's house when they were both 18 years old. Their shared love for science fiction, and the -directed film, written by, was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. These early influences inspired the pair to believe in themselves and affirm their career choices. After their first meeting, they kept in touch at least once a month, in a friendship that spanned over 70 years.Late in life, Bradbury retained his dedication and passion despite what he described as the 'devastation of illnesses and deaths of many good friends.'
Among the losses that deeply grieved Bradbury was the death of creator, who was an intimate friend for many years. They remained close friends for nearly three decades after Roddenberry asked him to write for Star Trek, which Bradbury never did, objecting that he 'never had the ability to adapt other people's ideas into any sensible form.' Bradbury suffered a stroke in 1999 that left him partially dependent on a wheelchair for mobility. Despite this, he continued to write, and had even written an essay for, about his inspiration for writing, published only a week prior to his death.
Bradbury made regular appearances at science-fiction conventions until 2009, when he retired from the circuit. Ray Bradbury's headstone in May 2012 prior to his deathBradbury chose a burial place at in Los Angeles, with a headstone that reads 'Author of Fahrenheit 451'. On February 6, 2015, reported that the house that Bradbury lived and wrote in for 50 years of his life, at 10265 Cheviot Drive in, California, had been demolished by the buyer, architect. Death Bradbury died in Los Angeles, California, on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91, after a lengthy illness. Bradbury's personal library was willed to the, where he had many of his formative reading experiences.The New York Times called Bradbury 'the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream.' The credited Bradbury with the ability 'to write lyrically and evocatively of lands an imagination away, worlds he anchored in the here and now with a sense of visual clarity and small-town familiarity'.
Bradbury's grandson, Danny Karapetian, said Bradbury's works had 'influenced so many artists, writers, teachers, scientists, and it's always really touching and comforting to hear their stories'. Noted several modern day technologies that Bradbury had envisioned much earlier in his writing, such as the idea of and from Fahrenheit 451, and the concepts of within.On June 6, 2012, in an official public statement from the, President said:For many Americans, the news of Ray Bradbury's death immediately brought to mind images from his work, imprinted in our minds, often from a young age. His gift for storytelling reshaped our culture and expanded our world.
But Ray also understood that our imaginations could be used as a tool for better understanding, a vehicle for change, and an expression of our most cherished values. There is no doubt that Ray will continue to inspire many more generations with his writing, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.Numerous Bradbury fans paid tribute to the author, noting the influence of his works on their own careers and creations. Filmmaker stated that Bradbury was 'his muse for the better part of his sci-fi career.
On the world of science fiction and fantasy and imagination he is immortal'. Writer felt that 'the landscape of the world we live in would have been diminished if we had not had him in our world'. Author released a statement on his website saying, 'Ray Bradbury wrote three great novels and three hundred great stories. One of the latter was called '.
![Bradbury Bradbury](/uploads/1/2/5/3/125381112/618345660.jpg)
The sound I hear today is the thunder of a giant's footsteps fading away. But the novels and stories remain, in all their resonance and strange beauty.' Bibliography. Main articles: andBradbury is credited with writing 27 novels and over 600 short stories. More than eight million copies of his works, published in over 36 languages, have been sold around the world. First novel In 1949, Bradbury and his wife were expecting their first child.
He took a Greyhound bus to New York and checked into a room at the YMCA for 50 cents a night. He took his short stories to a dozen publishers and no one wanted them. Just before getting ready to go home, Bradbury had dinner with an editor at Doubleday. When Bradbury recounted that everyone wanted a novel and he did not have one, the editor, coincidentally named Walter Bradbury, asked if the short stories might be tied together into a book-length collection. The title was the editor's idea; he suggested, 'You could call it The Martian Chronicles.'
Bradbury liked the idea and recalled making notes in 1944 to do a book set on Mars. That evening, he stayed up all night at the YMCA and typed out an outline. He took it to the Doubleday editor the next morning, who read it and wrote Bradbury a check for $750. When Bradbury returned to Los Angeles, he connected all the short stories that became The Martian Chronicles. Intended first novel What was later issued as a collection of stories and vignettes, Summer Morning, Summer Night, started out to be Bradbury's first true novel. The core of the work was Bradbury's witnessing of the American small-town life in the American heartland.
In the winter of 1955–56, after a consultation with his Doubleday editor, Bradbury deferred publication of a novel based on Green Town, the pseudonym for his hometown. Instead, he extracted 17 stories and, with three other Green Town tales, bridged them into his 1957 book Dandelion Wine.
Later, in 2006, Bradbury published the original novel remaining after the extraction, and retitled it Farewell Summer. These two titles show what stories and episodes Bradbury decided to retain as he created the two books out of one. The most significant of the remaining unpublished stories, scenes, and fragments were published under the originally intended name for the novel, Summer Morning, Summer Night, in 2007. Adaptations to other media.
Bradbury receiving the in 2004 with and his wife Laura BushThe for excellency in screenwriting was occasionally presented by the – presented to six people on four occasions from 1992 to 2009. Beginning 2010, the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation is presented annually according to Nebula Awards rules and procedures, although it is not a Nebula Award. The revamped Bradbury Award replaced the. In 1972, an impact crater on Earth's moon was named by the astronauts, in honor of Bradbury's novel Dandelion Wine. In 1984, he received the for Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury Park was dedicated in Waukegan, Illinois, in 1990. He was present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The park contains locations described in Dandelion Wine, most notably the '113 steps'.