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Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury. b. Aug. 22, 1920 Waukegan, Illinois. Early years. Bradbury’s childhood was mostly spent in Waukegan, though the family spent 1926-27 and 1932-33 in Tucson, AZ Bradbury spent many hours in the Carnegie Library in Waukegan

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Ray Bradbury

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  1. Ray Bradbury b. Aug. 22, 1920 Waukegan, Illinois

  2. Early years • Bradbury’s childhood was mostly spent in Waukegan, though the family spent 1926-27 and 1932-33 in Tucson, AZ • Bradbury spent many hours in the Carnegie Library in Waukegan • Several of Bradbury’s novels and stories fictionalize Waukegan as “Green Town” • When he was 11, Ray began writing stories on butcher paper

  3. High school • When Ray was 13, the Bradburys relocated to L.A., where Ray attended Los Angeles High School • Star-struck Ray was active in drama club and planned to be an actor • Two teachers noted his writing ability and encouraged him in creative writing

  4. High school and beyond • Ray began to focus on writing, contributing to “fanzines” and joining the Los Angeles Science Fiction League and the school’s Poetry Club • Ray opted not to attend college, instead educating himself and practicing his writing while selling newspapers for cash • “In 1939, Bradbury published four issues of his own fan magazine, Futuria Fantasia, writing much of the content himself. His first paid publication, a short story titled "Pendulum," appeared in Super Science Stories in 1941.”  (“Ray Bradbury Online”)

  5. Success! • In 1943, having sold some stories, Bradbury turned to writing full-time • Bradbury’s recognition and success as a short-story writer is proven by his inclusion in the 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1952 editions of Best American Short Stories.  • In 1947, Ray married a book shop clerk named Maggie. They are still married, with four daughters and eight grandchildren. • The same year, Bradbury published his first collection of short stories, Dark Carnival.

  6. Selected Novels • 1950: The Martian Chronicles, a novel constructed of interrelated short stories about “man's attempt to colonize Mars, the effects of colonization on the Martians, and the colonists' reaction to a massive nuclear war on Earth” (“Ray Bradbury Online”).  • 1953: Fahrenheit 451 • One vivid aspect of Bradbury’s style—seen in Fahrenheit 451—is his use of imagery and figurative language to create imaginative word pictures.

  7. Selected Novels, cont. • 1957: Dandelion Wine • 1962: Something Wicked This Way Comes • 1972: The Halloween Tree • 2006: Farewell Summer • [Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Farewell Summer comprise a “Green Town” trilogy.]

  8. Hollywood • Bradbury wrote scripts for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, and The Ray Bradbury Theater, a cable anthology of 65 of his short stories • He also wrote the screenplay for the 1956 film of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and won an Emmy Award for his adaptation of The Halloween Tree.

  9. Plays and poems • In addition to 11 novels, 20 short story collections, and numerous screenplays, Bradbury authored five collections of poems and eleven stage productions • Bradbury adapted a few of his novels for the stage, including Fahrenheit 451 in 1986.

  10. Futurist • According to The Random House Unabridged Dictionary, a futurist is “a person whose occupation or specialty is the forecasting of future events, conditions, or developments.” • In addition to Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury was Idea Consultant for the US Pavillion at the New York World’s Fair in 1963 and contributed ideas to the futuristic EPCOT center at Disney World (Spaceship Earth) and EuroDisney (Orbitron), among other Disney projects • Designed "small-town plaza" style malls in Southern CA

  11. Furthermore • Having witnessed a gruesome car accident when he was young, Bradbury has never driven a car. • Prefers not to fly, and did not fly in an airplane until the age of 62. Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame • An asteroid was named "9766 Bradbury" in his honor, and a crater on the moon is called "Dandelion Crater" after his novel Dandelion Wine. • On November 17, 2004, Bradbury was presented the National Medal of Arts by President George W. Bush and Laura Bush.

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