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| Photo by Alan Light |
Sad
to hear that Ray Bradbury, one of science fiction and fantasy’s greats, author
of Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Martian Chronicles, among many
others, died June 5th aged 91.
On
the website io9, which broke the news earlier today, Bradbury’s grandson Danny
Karapetian shared these words about his grandfather: "If I had to make any
statement, it would be how much I love and miss him, and I look forward to
hearing everyone's memories about him. He influenced so many artists, writers,
teachers, scientists, and it's always really touching and comforting to hear
their stories. Your stories. His legacy lives on in his monumental body of
books, film, television and theater, but more importantly, in the minds and
hearts of anyone who read him, because to read him was to know him. He was the
biggest kid I know."
Ray
Bradbury was one of those authors who clearly loved writing and books so deeply
and so passionately that it came through in every sentence, drawing readers in
and bringing out the same joy in them, for the future, for the imagination, for
vivid new worlds and mythical tales, and for the wonderful power of stories. He
will be remembered mainly for the books mentioned above, but for me, some of
his short stories have had the deepest effect. In many, such as ‘R is for
Rocket’ and ‘The Golden Apples of the Sun,’ Bradbury provides a magically
optimistic, exciting vision of the future. Amongst today’s more jaded, dark and
‘gritty’ speculative fiction, it’s always nice to be able to read back over
Bradbury’s stories and feel that childlike, hopeful wonder for the unknown again.
This does not mean that Bradbury thought the future, or human nature, was all
roses. There are stories that warn against the misuse of machines and weapons
(for example, ‘The Murderer’ and ‘The Flying Machine’), or that comment on
racism and prejudice (e.g. ‘The Big Black and White Game’). But there is a refreshing
sense of hope and love for life that runs through most of his short stories. He
seems to have always remained the boy from ‘The Sound of Summer Running,’ with
his new tennis shoes and his awe of a beautiful future that is alive with possibility.
It is well worth picking up a collection of Ray Bradbury’s shorts.
Many
authors are deeply indebted to Bradbury and the influence he has had on their
own work. On his blog, Neil Gaiman expresses the beauty of Bradbury’s fiction and
the profound effect that it has had. Gaiman also writes that Bradbury “was
kind, and gentle, and always filled with enthusiasm, and the landscape of the
world we live in would have been diminished if we had not had him in our world.
And I am so glad that I knew him.” Read his tribute here.
Bradbury
liked to tell a story about meeting a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico, when he
was a young boy. At the end of the show Electrico touched the boy with an
electrified sword to make his hair stand up, and commanded him to “Live
forever!” Bradbury said that he started writing every day since then, and never
stopped. Bradbury’s stories are so loved and so popular that he does indeed seem
to have fulfilled Electrico’s command – he will never be forgotten.
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