SOMETHING WICKED GOOD THIS WAY COMES:

Chronicling Jefferson, Bradbury (GARY SHAPIRO, June 21, 2005, NY Sun)

"He can look at anything and a story idea comes to him," said Sam Weller, speaking Tuesday about 84-year-old science-fiction author Ray Bradbury, whose biography The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury", he has just written. He told the audience at Barnes & Noble in Greenwich Village that the book was not only about a life but also about the "birth of an imagination."

Mr. Bradbury's famous works "The Martian Chronicles" and "Fahrenheit 451" are part of our popular culture, Mr. Weller said. There have been operas and comic books based on Mr. Bradbury's works, and few writers can boast of having a crater on the moon named after one of their works. Mr. Bradbury also wrote scripts for John Huston films and Alfred Hitchcock's television series, and worked on the design of the U.S. pavilion in the World's Fair in 1964. Last November, President Bush presented Mr. Bradbury with the National Medal of Arts, and Mr. Weller accompanied the famed science-fiction author to the White House.

At the talk, Mr. Weller spoke of influences on Mr. Bradbury, including movies ("his visualization is very cinematic") and his Aunt Neva, an artist who was part of a Jazz Age, absinthe drinking set and who helped "usher him into the fantastic." Mr. Weller spoke of Mr. Bradbury's view that neither fear nor too much forethought should interfere with creativity. His mantra is "Jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down." [...]

The Knickerbocker asked what upcoming works of Ray Bradbury the public might see. Mr. Weller mentioned Mr. Bradbury's sequel to "Dandelion Wine," called "Farewell Summer," would eventually be published. [...]

In his remarks, Mr. Weller also described Mr. Bradbury's relationship with technology. The famed science-fiction author never learned to drive a car. He loves the fax machine and is beginning to enjoy e-mail "but is still opposed to the Internet." Mr. Bradbury did once receive a laptop computer from Arthur C. Clarke, Mr. Weller said, but he gave it away.

After sufficient urging from the Brothers I finally read Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. It was so good I did so with a pen to mark many passages that I would want to go back to again, such as:

“You can depend on me,” said Tom.

“It’s not you I worry about,” said Douglas. “It’s the way God runs the world.”

Tom thought about this for a moment.

“He’s all right, Doug,” said Tom. “He tries.”

And I would add, God needs us to try as well.

Posted by Jim Siegel at June 22, 2005 7:49 AM