An American author and screenwriter known for excelling in genres like science fiction, horror and mystery fiction, Ray Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920. Recipient of numerous awards, including a 2007 Pulitzer citation, he began writing his own stories at age 11 (1931), during the Great Depression — sometimes writing butcher paper, the only available paper back then.
The author had cited H. G. Wells and Jules Verne as his primary science-fiction influences and his first published story was "Hollerbochen's Dilemma", which appeared in the January 1938 number of Forrest J. Ackerman's fanzine Imagination! However, Bradbury's favorite writers growing up included Katherine Anne Porter, who wrote about the American South, Edith Wharton, and Jessamyn West. Notably, Ray Bradbury passed away in Los Angeles, California, on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91, following a lengthy illness.
On the author's 99th birth anniversary, here's looking at 5 novels one must read by Ray Bradbury.
Fahrenheit 451 (1953): The dystopian novel by the author is often regarded as being one of his best works. The novel portrays a future where in American society, books are outlawed and 'firemen' burn any tomes that they find. The lead character, Guy Montag, is a fireman who becomes disillusioned with his role of censoring literature and destroying knowledge, eventually quitting his job to preserve literature.
The Martian Chronicles (1950): A science fiction novel by the author, it chronicles the colonization of Mars by fleeing humans, who are running away from a troubled and eventually atomically devastated Earth. The novel also shows the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962): A dark fantasy, it is about two 13-year-old best friends, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, and their nightmarish experience with a travelling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October, and how the boys learn about combatting fear. Notably, Something Wicked This Way Comes has served as a direct influence on several fantasy and horror authors, including Neil Gaiman and Stephen King.
Dandelion Wine (1957): The novel takes place in the fictional town of Green Town, Illinois and sees summer in the life of a twelve-year-old boy named Douglas Spaulding. Unlike the dark fantasies he is better known for, this is a coming-of-age novel.
Let's All Kill Constance (2002): The book is narrated by an unnamed Los Angeles writer and is set in the 1960s. It chronicles an unexpected visit from aging Hollywood actress Constance Rattigan who gives him two death lists of once famous people, with the actress’ name in one of them. The book is a gradual unraveling of the mystery by the narrator with the help of private investigator Elmo Crumley.
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