There was, quite simply, no writer like Ray Bradbury, the futurist who brought science fiction into the literary mainstream. <\/p>\n
Many of his 30 books are classics including The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man and Dandelion Wine. <\/p>\n
And his work in the early post-WWII years reflected both the wonders and growing fears of rapidly advancing technology. <\/p>\n
But Bradbury, who died Tuesday at 91, never considered himself a science fiction writer. That term he reserved only for his most important book, Fahrenheit 451. <\/p>\n
That 1953 dystopian work, named for the temperature at which paper ignites, was an eloquent denunciation of book-burning. <\/p>\n
Reuters <\/p>\n
Ray Bradbury <\/p>\n
But Bradbury would later say it was less about censorship and the threat from Big Brother, [than the one] from little sister [and] all those groups . . . who want to impose their views from below. <\/p>\n
These days, of course, the threats from above must be considered too particularly those posed by folks who think modernity can best be held back with multiple head loppings. <\/p>\n
Below, above it makes no difference: Bradburys book remains relevant because the threat to free expression is timeless and so very dangerous. Not for nothing was the author awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George W. Bush. RIP. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See the rest here: <\/p>\n
Ray Bradbury, 1920-2012<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There was, quite simply, no writer like Ray Bradbury, the futurist who brought science fiction into the literary mainstream. Many of his 30 books are classics including The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man and Dandelion Wine. Continue reading