Ray Bradbury — author of The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and other science fiction and literary classics — died Tuesday evening, June 5, 2012, in Los Angeles, at the age of 91, according to his daughter. He was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on August 22, 1920, the son of a utility lineman. He was the third son and he was given his middle name, Douglas, after the famous actor Douglas Fairbanks.
As a child he soaked up the ambiance of small-town life — wraparound porches, fireflies and the soft, golden light of late afternoon — that would later become a hallmark of much of his fiction, noted the Chicago Tribune upon his death.
“When I was born in 1920,” he told the New York Times Magazine in 2000, “the auto was only 20 years old. Radio didn't exist. TV didn't exist. I was born at just the right time to write about all of these things.”
The Transit of Venus lasted from the evening of June 5th (in North America) to the morning of June 6th (in Europe). Ray Bradbury's death may be the one most remembered and recalled when the question arises, "Who passed away during the Transit of Venus in 2012?"
From one of his interviews:
ReplyDelete"'All of my relatives, three families, would come over to my grandparents' house and perch on the porch and we'd fire off Dollars 100 worth of fireworks in a single evening Dollars 1,000 dollars in today's money. At the end my grandfather would take me out to the end of the lawn at midnight. We'd light a little cup of shavings and put it underneath a Japanese fire balloon. We'd stand there waiting for the balloon to fill with warm air. Then we'd let it drift up into the night. I would stand there with my grandfather and cry because it was so beautiful. It was all over and it was going away. My grandfather died the next year and in a way he was a fire balloon going away.'"
I think what I like the most about Bradbury is that, unlike most of his Sci-Fi contemporaries, he wasn't antagonistic to the idea of God. I wish all the young atheist geeks who are mourning him remembered that.
His books are always enjoyable. For a man who grew up when there was no such thing as radio or TV - the likes of which will one day disappear for good - he was certainly prescient in "Farenheit 451" regarding the vapid obsession with television and drone technology. May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteThe Transit of Venus lasted "[until] the morning of June 6th in Europe" because Europe is in different time zones, not because the transit occurred later there (it didn't). By the time Bradbury died the transit was over. He did die on the day of the transit, however.
ReplyDeleteFor the moderator: Re the comment I just made, I would edit it: I don't know whether he died during the transit itself was still visible in Europe; it would depend on the actual time of death. The transit ended (in Europe) at about 9:50 PM local time in Los Angeles (9:49:35 PDT). However, the transit had already ended in Los Angeles because it ended (for Los Angeles) when the sun set there. Whether a transit (which is a visual phenomenon) can be considered to be still going on after the sun has set and it can no longer be seen, is a matter of definition or debate.
ReplyDeleteAs I child, I couldn't get enough books out of the library...in fifth grade, our class read "All in a Summers Day".... I was mortified. Even then, I was fuelled by a sunny day...enjoyed its warmth...prayed for it in Spring.....throughout my life I continually referenced the story but could not remember the title or who wrote it. My kids knew about this story and we lived for a day of sunshine at the beach...glad that we didn't live on Venus. It was my eldest daughter who came home from school and finally broke the mystery...her class had read the story and she immediately knew it was the story I had repeated so many times. I only wish I had had the opportunity to meet Ray ... he has and continues to impact my life with that story as I venture out on my sunny days in appreciation of the warmth of the Sun. Carol Ingram. -Boston, MA
ReplyDeleteAs I child, I couldn't get enough books out of the library...in fifth grade, our class read "All in a Summers Day".... I was mortified. Even then, I was fuelled by a sunny day...enjoyed its warmth...prayed for it in Spring.....throughout my life I continually referenced the story but could not remember the title or who wrote it. My kids knew about this story and we lived for a day of sunshine at the beach...glad that we didn't live on Venus. It was my eldest daughter who came home from school and finally broke the mystery...her class had read the story and she immediately knew it was the story I had repeated so many times. I only wish I had had the opportunity to meet Ray ... he has and continues to impact my life with that story as I venture out on my sunny days in appreciation of the warmth of the Sun. Carol Ingram. -Boston, MA
ReplyDelete