MARTIAN CHRONICLES (1950)
I first met Ray Bradbury in the pages of his book The Illustrated Man way back in 1951. His easy flowing, poetic style of writing science fiction and fantasy hooked me into a love of these genres to this very day. From that book came others throughout the Fabulous Fifties and beyond. They were books I had to read because Ray Bradbury wrote them and Ray Bradbury ranked first among all of my favorite authors: Philip K. Dick, Theodore Sturgeon, Alfred Bester, Clifford D. Simak, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, C.M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl, Poul Anderson, Frederic Brown, and Fritz Leiber.
My childhood was a wonderful time to be an avid reader delighting in vicarious adventures. Thanks to Bradbury and the others, those 25-cent paperbacks allowed me to travel through space and time, hitch my imagination to theirs, and leave Earth if only for the duration of each exciting novel.
Ray Bradbury, who passed away at 91, on June 05, 2012, was the last
of my literary heroes to leave this planet. I miss them all, but
especially Bradbury because he more than the others started me writing
his same kind of fiction. No, we never met in person. He never stood at
my side, as my parents did, encouraging me to take up my pencil or pen
and get that story down. But being a Bradbury fan, I learned by his
example. I internalized the advice he offered young aspiring writers.
When Bradbury was a young boy of 12, he met Mr. Electrico, a
carnival magician, who at the end of one of his performances, reached
out and touched young Ray with his sword. “Live forever!” he commanded
him. Later Bradbury said, “I decided that was the greatest idea I had
ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped.”
For over 80 years he wrote at least 1,000 words a day! In 1941 he
sold his first story “Pendulum” and published his first book, a short
story collection called Dark Carnival. in 1947. He was a prolific author
who wrote hundreds of short stories, more than fifty books, poems,
essays, screenplays, and even operas.
For those who have never read his works, let me suggest some
classics: Martian Chronicles (1950); Fahrenheit 451 (1953); The October
Country (1955); Dandelion Wine (1957); Something Wicked This Way Comes
(1962).
Despite a stroke in 1999, which forced him to use a wheelchair,
Bradbury continued to write and see his books published. . In addition
to many writing awards, Bradbury was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer
Prize Special Citation.
In 2002 I was an English teacher in a New Jersey middle School. One
of the stories we were reading and discussing was Ray Bradbury‘s “All
Summer in a Day.” The story takes place on Venus where rain falls
incessantly, except for two hours every seven years, when the sun makes
its rare appearance. The children in the schoolhouse are no different
than children on Earth. (you can read the story at http://www.wssb.wa.gov/content/Classrooms/tate/content/freshman/All%20Summer%20In%20a%20Day/story.htm
My 8th graders loved the story! Some went on to read more Bradbury
stories on their own time, even books I recommended to them. Because of
their enthusiasm, I asked if they’d like to write a letter to the
author. I would somehow find his address, we’d place all our letters in a
manila folder and mail it out to the author.
Here is Ray Bradbury’s reply from his home on Cheviot Drive in Los Angeles:
February 28, 2002
Dear Salvatore Buttaci:
Thank you very much for your
kind and loving letter. I deeply appreciate all the wonderful things you
said about my books and your history in reading.
I appreciate your sending on
the letters and essays of your various students. I wish I had time to
respond to each one. This sort of thing is very welcome to me at this
time because when I began writing, years ago, very little attention was
paid to my writing; my first books were published to absolutely no
reviews at all. Now you come along with your kind students and give me
praise in my later years.
I wish you well in the months and years ahead and send all of you my love.
(Signed: Ray Bradbury)
I hope after reading this article, if you are not already a Bradbury fan, you will pick up one of his books and become one.
Salvatore Buttaci is the author of two short-short story collections, Flashing My Shorts and 200 Shorts, both published by All Things That Matter Press and available in book and Kindle editions at http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/sambpoet
His new book If Roosters Don’t Crow, It Is Still Morning: Haiku and Other Poems http://tinyurl.com/76akl73 Salvatore Buttaci is the author of two short-short story collections, Flashing My Shorts and 200 Shorts, both published by All Things That Matter Press and available in book and Kindle editions at http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/sambpoet
Buttaci lives in West Virginia with Sharon, the love of his life.
I read his 12 recommendations for aspiring writers only the day before when somebody had posted them as highly recommendable on FB: http://www.openculture.com/2012/04/ray_bradbury_gives_12_pieces_of_writing_advice_to_young_authors_2001.html. RIP!
ReplyDeleteThanks,Siggy, for posting this on your excellent site. We never fully appreciate an author until we lose him and realize there'll be no more new books!
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