The biography of a talented person is always a reason to discover a source of strength and inspiration. And if this is a science fiction writer whose books still excite the minds and draw us to the stars, then discovering this bright and extraordinary mind becomes doubly pleasant. Ray Bradbury lived 92 years, during which he wrote more than eight hundred works - it is very interesting to look behind the screen and find out what he was like in life?
"Jules Verne is leading me" - Ray Bradbury proudly recalled this statement of Admiral Byrd, who went on an expedition to the North Pole. Astronauts, whom Bradbury once met in Texas, admitted that his books, his thoughts inspired, attracted them to the conquest of space.
Biography of the man who awakened in us the desire to go to Mars
Ray Douglas Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920 in Illinois, USA. Ray's family was not one of the rich, the fairy godmother did not bring him money for college, and the writer considered the library his main university all his life. This image occupied his thoughts for many years. Even in deep childhood, he read about the burning of the library in Alexandria, the next significant event for Bradbury was the burning of books by the Nazis in Berlin. This culminated in the creation of Fahrenheit 451 in 1953. This novel is rightfully considered prophetic; according to the writer, some parts of the social system built in the novel have already appeared during the writer's lifetime. For example, Ray Bradbury considered American education very weak and hinted that if this did not change, then we would come to a society, the symbol of which would be the burned book.
In 1937, the writer was accepted into its ranks by the League of Science Fiction writers - this became an important event in his writing career, Bradbury began to print more, while in cheap collections of fiction. Twelve publishers rejected him before he found a publisher willing to release his Mars stories, but in a single work. Bradbury wrote an essay in one night, linking all the stories, and so the "Martian Chronicles" appeared.
In 1957, the book "Dandelion Wine" was published, which became partly biographical. The plot is based on the author's childhood experiences. Also connected with memories of childhood is another novel - "From the dust of the rebels".
Love, hobbies and lines of destiny
Ray Bradbury's personal life was a great help in his writing. By marrying Margaret McClure in 1947, he gained not only moral support, but also financial support - his wife's earnings allowed him to be creative in those years when the fees were too small. The marriage with Margaret lasted until her death in 2003, Bradbury called her the love of his life. From this marriage four daughters were born.
Ray Bradbury almost never travels and all his life considered himself a couch potato. Therefore, he called good imagination his main companion in his work. Also, Bradbury's writing path was influenced by a family story about kinship with Mary Bradbury - a real sorceress who was allegedly burned at the stake. Perhaps this is where the writer's interest in hoax comes from.
Early acquaintance with death (when Ray was six - his grandfather and little sister died) - left its mark, the books allowed him to fight death on their pages, and even deny it. And in ripe old age, Bradbury believed that he was postponing his death with every new work he wrote.
Films are another passion in the life of Ray Bradbury. His parents were fond of cinema, and one day it became a part of the writer's life. Unfortunately, one of the "And Thunder Rocked" plots was stolen for the movie "The Butterfly Effect". Subsequently, with the permission of the author, the film of the same name was shot.
Ray Bradbury died on June 5, 2012. During his life, he was nominated and awarded many times, for example, Ray Bradbury received the Pulitzer Prize, and an asteroid also bears his name. But the main reward found him after his death - in 2015, NASA gave the name of the writer to the crater on Mars, where the rover landed. He believed so strongly that humanity would reach Mars that he became a symbol of human aspiration in outer space.
