Artwork inspired by Bradbury’s work can be found here.
World-famous science fiction and fantasy writer Ray Bradbury has died at 91. To millions of readers, he was a literary giant and a household name. Best known worldwide for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury was also a distinguished author of short fiction; two of his most significant books, The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine, were collections of linked stories.
Bradbury was honored with numerous awards, including an Emmy, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a National Medal of the Arts Award, and a special citation from the Pulitzer Committee. Most importantly, however, Ray Bradbury inspired generations upon generations of writers with his uniquely upbeat, almost childlike exploration of the endless dimensions of fiction. Ray Bradbury was, and still is, that rare writer who loved playing with dinosaurs as a child, and never really stopped.
Bradbury also never really stopped writing. New books have appeared well into the 21st century including Farewell Summer, a sequel to Dandelion Wine. He also just had an essay published in The New Yorker‘s first ever science fiction issue.
His stories aren’t just science fiction; they are among some of the best, most hilarious and heartfelt stories around. The best thing we can do right now is go out and read them. Read “The Wonderful Ice Scream Suit,” “The Smile,” everything in A Medicine for Melancholy. Read The Halloween Tree.
A prehistoric monster in Bradbury’s story “The Fog Horn” is searching for another monster of its own kind. And now, sadly, we’ll forever be lonely monsters searching for someone as wonderful and luminous as Ray Bradbury. We’ll miss you.
