RIP Ray Bradbury

[HistoryWes]

I loved so many of his works, but I vividly remember reading The Martian Chronicals in 8th grade. Our teacher let us lay on the floor and read, so I stuck the book under the bottom of the desk and looked up at it. I remember being amazed at how the stories stuck together to tell a future history-- an idea that I still find interesting in books by other authors.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HistoryWes

I loved so many of his works, but I vividly remember reading The Martian Chronicals in 8th grade.

That was another one we read in Junior High and did the movie (Rock Hudson) comparison thing on.

He wrote a lot of good stuff.

[tubemonkey]

“Death doesn't exist. It never did, it never will. But we've drawn so many pictures of it, so many years, trying to pin it down, comprehend it, we've got to thinking of it as an entity, strangely alive and greedy. All it is, however, is a stopped watch, a loss, an end, a darkness. Nothing.” - swtwc

Though he stopped, his legacy lives on. One of the true greats. May he rest in peace.

[kennyc]

An Evening with Ray Bradbury

Part One:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-r7ABrMYU

He's quite vocal about most modern stuff being krap. Ebooks, Computers, New Yorker short stories. ... hee-hee.

Part Two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU51N2s3B78

[=X=]

Loved his book RIP Ray. The only book I ever read from him was Fahrenheit 451 and I really enjoyed it.

=X=

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Some of the greatest visual memories I have from SF were from Bradbury's words. The Martian Chronicles got me hooked on SF. That's the second of my two literary icons down (AC Clarke was the other).

I always chuckled over the recent irony of Bradbury's vocal opposition to ebooks; the writer of Fahrenheit 451, whose heroes dealt with the preservation of books into history by memorizing them, criticizing the digital storage and preservation of texts; but I was always sure it was the romantic in him talking, the side that just loved those bound reams of paper from his lifetime, and not a side that had become blind to the realities of the day.

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

That was another one we read in Junior High and did the movie (Rock Hudson) comparison thing on.

The TV movie had its moments (not very many, though). I'd love to have seen a really good cinematic take on The Martian Chronicles, done by someone with cinematic vision... it could be glorious.

[SeaKing]

I remember Ray's books very well.

A high point of my childhood was seeing the movie "The Martian Chronicles" and being amazed at the way Bernadette Peters could fill a sweater. She still does Broadway, and I saw her the other night on Television singing with the guy who sometimes acts on "Criminal Mines."

Ray will be missed.

[teh603]

Dunno. I've read a good chunk of 451 and an entire graphic novel rendition. Can't say I like it. Too much fuel for the toxi-capitalist "government is evil" movement. Course the other one about the schoolteacher getting replaced- which was run in Boys Life back in the early Clinton era- wasn't any better.

I kinda wish I could've asked him why he and Orwell and Rand were so strongly anti-government. I'd like to do something entirely different to Rand.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by teh603

Dunno. I've read a good chunk of 451 and an entire graphic novel rendition. Can't say I like it. Too much fuel for the toxi-capitalist "government is evil" movement. Course the other one about the schoolteacher getting replaced- which was run in Boys Life back in the early Clinton era- wasn't any better.

I kinda wish I could've asked him why he and Orwell and Rand were so strongly anti-government. I'd like to do something entirely different to Rand.

Certainly not the case with all his stories...or even most.

Try my favorites, "Frost and Fire" or "There Will Come Soft Rains" or "The Sound of Thunder"

others
"The Illustrated Man"
"The Martian Chronicles"
...

[teh603]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Certainly not the case with all his stories...or even most.

Try my favorites, "Frost and Fire" or "There Will Come Soft Rains" or "The Sound of Thunder"

others
"The Illustrated Man"
"The Martian Chronicles"
...

Is he really remembered for writing those, or is he remembered for 451 and the one about the schoolteacher? Those are the only ones I see in the schools.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by teh603

Is he really remembered for writing those, or is he remembered for 451 and the one about the schoolteacher? Those are the only ones I see in the schools.

We weren't talking about schools, we were talking about what you had read.

[Ntsimp]

I have no idea what's in the popular consciousness, but when I hear "Ray Bradbury" I think of The Martian Chronicles first, followed by The Illustrated Man. If I think about his stuff for a while I'll get around to Fahrenheit 451, but it doesn't stand out that strongly for me.
I think the first story I read of his was "The Veldt", maybe in fourth grade or so. I guess most kids like violence in their books, but I was fascinated then by how strong an effect he achieved with just the subtle (to me) implication of it.

[steven522]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I'd love to have seen a really good cinematic take on The Martian Chronicles, done by someone with cinematic vision... it could be glorious.

I would like to see The Martian Chronicles done as an actual TV series instead of just a mini. They could do each short story as an episode and cover the entire book in a season (or two).

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Ntsimp

I have no idea what's in the popular consciousness, but when I hear "Ray Bradbury" I think of The Martian Chronicles first, followed by The Illustrated Man. If I think about his stuff for a while I'll get around to Fahrenheit 451, but it doesn't stand out that strongly for me.
I think the first story I read of his was "The Veldt", maybe in fourth grade or so. I guess most kids like violence in their books, but I was fascinated then by how strong an effect he achieved with just the subtle (to me) implication of it.

Yep, me too. Martian Chronicles, The October Country, The Illustrated Man


The Veldt is widely anthologized in the school literature anthologies as well as some of his others like "The Foghorn" and probably many that aren't coming to mind at the moment.

[Ninjalawyer]

Originally Posted by teh603

Dunno. I've read a good chunk of 451 and an entire graphic novel rendition. Can't say I like it. Too much fuel for the toxi-capitalist "government is evil" movement. Course the other one about the schoolteacher getting replaced- which was run in Boys Life back in the early Clinton era- wasn't any better.

I kinda wish I could've asked him why he and Orwell and Rand were so strongly anti-government. I'd like to do something entirely different to Rand.

I really loved 451, but don't recall it as being particularly anti-government. It's been awhile, so I may be misremembering that, but I recall the main themes being censorship of books (at the demand of the people, not originally by force of government) and the effect of video technology and the demand for newness affects people.

I also really like Orwell, and never read Animal Farm or 1984 as particularly anti-capitalist; Animal Farm seemed more anti-soviet style communism and 1984 was more anti-facism and anti-totalitarian government.

Again, 451 is one of my favourite books, but it's been awhile since I read it.

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I always chuckled over the recent irony of Bradbury's vocal opposition to ebooks; the writer of Fahrenheit 451, whose heroes dealt with the preservation of books into history by memorizing them, criticizing the digital storage and preservation of texts; but I was always sure it was the romantic in him talking, the side that just loved those bound reams of paper from his lifetime, and not a side that had become blind to the realities of the day.

I also recall an interview with Bradbury where he complained at length about the internet and how it distracts people and makes them stupider, while at the same time as he was interviewed he was watching Fox News on two big-screen TVs. Not that those particularly detract from such a great author.