Happy Birthday, Ray
A very special Happy Birthday wish goes out to the great Ray Bradbury, who turns 85 years old today.
Mr. Bradbury's stories are a special favorite of both the Marmoset and myself, not to mention countless others. In fact, I'm sure that he has many fans who never even knew they were fans. For instance, there are legions of Simpsons fans who probably never knew that every time they laugh at Homer altering history with his time machine/toaster ("Stupid bug, you go squish now!") they owe a debt of gratitude to Bradbury's "Sound of Thunder".
Part of Bradbury's appeal to me is his reverence for books and libraries of all stripes, something I certainly can relate to. As a young man, Bradbury spent many hours educating himself at the public library rather than going to college, and it clearly shows. As a librarian, I strongly believe that every library science student should be given a copy of Fahrenheit 451 on their first day. When he recently spoke at the ALA's 2005 Annual Conference, one librarian in attendance mentioned how "scared" she was of the Patriot Act and its possible implications in the future. "Oh, don't be scared," Bradbury told her. "Get mad!" Very sage advice.
But the thing that makes his stories truly special is the way they inject magic into the most ordinary things. Probably the best example of this is Dandelion Wine, one of the most under-appreciated novels in existence. Mundane things in Bradbury stories become miraculous and wonderful, and the wonder sticks long past the end of the story. I'll probably never enter a funeral home without being creeped out by "The Handler", I'm sure I'll never see a carnival or circus without thinking of Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show, and it's hard to watch the news without wishing for a Toynbee Convector. The world is a genuinely cooler, more interesting place because of these stories, and I cannot think of any higher praise for a writer than that.
Happy birthday, Ray, and here's hoping for many, many more.
Mr. Bradbury's stories are a special favorite of both the Marmoset and myself, not to mention countless others. In fact, I'm sure that he has many fans who never even knew they were fans. For instance, there are legions of Simpsons fans who probably never knew that every time they laugh at Homer altering history with his time machine/toaster ("Stupid bug, you go squish now!") they owe a debt of gratitude to Bradbury's "Sound of Thunder".
Part of Bradbury's appeal to me is his reverence for books and libraries of all stripes, something I certainly can relate to. As a young man, Bradbury spent many hours educating himself at the public library rather than going to college, and it clearly shows. As a librarian, I strongly believe that every library science student should be given a copy of Fahrenheit 451 on their first day. When he recently spoke at the ALA's 2005 Annual Conference, one librarian in attendance mentioned how "scared" she was of the Patriot Act and its possible implications in the future. "Oh, don't be scared," Bradbury told her. "Get mad!" Very sage advice.
But the thing that makes his stories truly special is the way they inject magic into the most ordinary things. Probably the best example of this is Dandelion Wine, one of the most under-appreciated novels in existence. Mundane things in Bradbury stories become miraculous and wonderful, and the wonder sticks long past the end of the story. I'll probably never enter a funeral home without being creeped out by "The Handler", I'm sure I'll never see a carnival or circus without thinking of Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show, and it's hard to watch the news without wishing for a Toynbee Convector. The world is a genuinely cooler, more interesting place because of these stories, and I cannot think of any higher praise for a writer than that.
Happy birthday, Ray, and here's hoping for many, many more.
posted by Skippy | 1:04 PM
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