Wednesday 6 June 2012

RAY BRADBURY, FROM THE HEART


Ray Bradbury 1922-2012

The blazing globe we orbit, that celestial source of light we call The Sun, has dimmed today.  Here on earth.  There, on Mars.  Across the stars.  Ray Bradbury, the incomparable author has passed away.  He was 91 years young, lived a full life and brought immeasurable joy to millions of readers.  Bradbury is best known for sci-fi classics like Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles and hundreds of short stories.  Although it’s set in a dystopian future, where books are banned and burned, Fahrenheit 451 doesn’t reflect the optimism that colours most of his work.  No other 20th Century author captured the joy of childhood, the melancholy of adolescence and the wonder of the universe like Bradbury did.




His stories aren't so much about fantastical concepts or ideas (oh, but what ideas!). Instead, they're an evocation of what it means to live, to breath and to feel.  I still read The Halloween Tree every October.  As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, I find comfort in Bradbury’s poetry flavoured prose.  The tales he told -- and spun, and wove --  are peppered with mystery and bursting with middle-American idealism.  Sitting down to ponder Mr. Bradbury’s life and legacy, I recalled how he helped me through some particularly difficult adolescent years.  And I’m probably going to rely on him to get me through many more.  He will be missed.

"The Halloween Tree" - Illustration by Ray Bradbury





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