Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012

Subject: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 10:35 AM

Deeply saddened at the news that the great man moved on today. He was a gem among writers.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 10:37 AM

One report here.


A

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 10:38 AM

He was a brillant and innovative writer.

What was that phrase of his, something like "Come Soft Rains"?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 10:44 AM

The short story was indeed titled "There Will Come Soft Rains" and I still find it haunting.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 10:47 AM

Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein were the introduction to intelligent literature for me when I was 10 years old. I remember pouring through "The Mars" stories and comparing each author to discover a world of science fiction and fantasy that I have never stopped reading. As I got older I became more broad in my reading tastes but I always looked for the new stuff when ever I could in the Bradbury and Heinlein sections of library and bookstore.

Bradbury had a spooky nature that I came to appreciate as I got older. There was also a depth to his writing that I discovered as I matured in my understanding of the world at large. When I was 10 I read what was "really neat" and then as I got older I became aware that there was social comment as well.

The Martian Chronicles was taken out of the library by me so often that the librarian at my high school gave it to me as a graduation gift. I have reread it many times in the last 40+ years and I suspect I will again very soon.

Don

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: EBarnacle
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 10:50 AM

I enjoyed reading his tales and his social commentaries therein many times over the year. He wrote a good stick.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: Leadfingers
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 11:06 AM

Back Then I collected paper back SF and must have read all of D B 's stuff ! ALL good stuff ! R I P

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 11:20 AM

One of my favourite modern short story writers - had a 'thing' about evil children; read 'The Small Assassin' and 'The Veldt' - they never left me. Also a couple of quirky ones about Ireland - 'The Beggar on the Halfpenny Bridge' and 'The Great National Anthem Race' - magic!!
RIP indeed.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: GUEST,999
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 11:27 AM

RIP Ray, and thanks for your thoughts, stories and observations.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 11:36 AM

Damn!

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Amergin
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 11:54 AM

Shit...I feel like I've lost some one I knew since I was a child...I think I'll go burn some books in his honour...

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: ClaireBear
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 12:00 PM

There Will Come Soft Rains
- Sara Teasdale

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pool singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire,
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone.


Ray Bradbury was a giant among writers and a star to steer by for me. I will miss him more than I can say. You're off on the Great Adventure now, Ray. Stay safe out there. Don't forget to write.

Claire, through tears

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: GUEST,JohnnyBeezer
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 12:21 PM

Damn,a very favourite author.
RIP Ray and thanks for the countless hours of pleasure.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 12:30 PM

Claire-

Thanks for posting the original poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Sara Teasdale.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: ClaireBear
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 12:42 PM

I went to hear Ray Bradbury speak once. The title of the talk was, or should have been, "Be True to Your Dinosaurs."

In it, he described the inspiration of his one of his early stories: the demolition of the big wooden roller coaster at Venice Pier in LA. The disassembled framework, lying in the sand, evoked for Ray the skeletal remains of a dinosaur washed up from the sea. The story inspired by that image, "The Fog Horn" (published in The Golden Apples of the Sun, brought Bradbury to the attention of John Huston, who on that basis engaged him to write the screenplay for Moby Dick.

But I digress.

The reason he told that story is that, as a child, he'd LOVED dinosaurs. He'd been a true dino geek, and had trouble making friends because of that obsession. But there was another young man -- also named Ray -- living nearby who also loved dinos. The two Rays got together and decided that their affection for extinct reptilian life forms was more important to them than having lots of friends. Instead, they vowed to be true to their dinosaurs, and they were: Bradbury with "The Fog Horn" and countless other stories, and the other Ray -- Harryhausen -- with his first stop-action animation project, "Evolution," which got him his first professional work.

I stay true to my dinosaurs by, among other things, spending time on Mudcat with all you other obsessives. Thanks for the advice, Ray.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: MartinRyan
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 12:46 PM

Nice one , ClaireBear.

I, like DonMeixner above, associate him with my mind opening around the age of 10 or so and my head filling up with wonder. May he rest in peace, if that's what we do...

Regards

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 01:17 PM

There was a time when I read everything by Ray Bradbury that I could find. Some of his stuff seems dated now, but he gave me hours of enjoyment and lots to think about. May he rest in peace.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 01:30 PM

Thanks so much for the Teasdale poem; it reflects RB's soul truly.

I heard him talk when he was in his eighties, and had to roll to the podium in a wheelchair. But once he opened his mouth, that sunshine of his eternal springlike soul came pouring out and lit up the whole room. HE never did get old, that one.

Travel safe, friend.



A

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: voyager
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 01:59 PM

As has been said recently about other great artists (Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, now Ray Bradbury) - there ought to be a star (or galaxy) named for them. From my Bradbury collection, I do recommend this short story (1st published in LIFE Magazine Jan 22, 1965) and later in 'I Sing the Body Electric' - (some browsing required) -

The Kilamanjaro Device

This is a great story about Hemingway and the ability to correct errors in Time.

Cheers
voyager

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Wesley S
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 02:17 PM

What a visionary. I seem to remember a short story - perhaps printed in Boys Life - about a race around the moon using huge foil like sails that caught solar energy. I'll have to find that one some day.

Thanks Ray - not for the memories - but for the dreams and visions.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: voyager
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 02:25 PM

As Mark Twain's life was marked by the arc of Haley's Comet, so too has Ray Bradbury's earthly exit aligned with Celestial Events -
   
Venus Solar Transit

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 04:15 PM

I discovered Bradbury's short stories when I was a library geek in junior high school. Decades later I was pleased to find my middle-school-aged son prowling my bookshelves, looking for Bradbury stories. We picked up a few more for him (my old paperbacks were falling apart), and when he had time to kill on a trip to register at the university, he stopped by the U Book Store and bought a large collection of Bradbury stories.

I know any kid who grows up reading Bradbury knows to question authority, talk back to the television or radio, and to think critically about the world around him.

I read Fahrenheit 451 many years ago, and I enjoyed the movie. What I find so remarkable about that room of screens of faces talking back is that it has come to pass - are we on our toes enough to consider that this isn't necessarily a good thing?

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Mrrzy
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 04:27 PM

He had SO many ideas that then came to be; I now have to reread everything he wrote since there won't be any more.

The world is poorer but our literature immeasurably enriched.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Don Firth
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 04:58 PM

I haven't seen mention yet of Bradbury's The Illustrated Man, a brilliant collection of real jewels. Some of my favorite stories by him. It contains

"Kaleidoscope."

Look it up. As you hit the last three words of the story, be prepared to choke up a bit.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: ClaireBear
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 07:22 PM

Here is Neil Gaiman's tribute to Bradbury in the Guardian.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 07:34 PM

Ray Bradbury, Master of Science Fiction, Dies at 91, NY Times obituary

Just recently, this week the New Yorker magazine has a special science fiction issue, and Bradbury has a lovely, wistful, autobiographical essay in it: Take Me Home.

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 07:58 PM

"For many Americans, the news of Ray Bradbury's death immediately brought to mind images from his work, imprinted in our minds, often from a young age. His gift for storytelling reshaped our culture and expanded our world. But Ray also understood that our imaginations could be used as a tool for better understanding, a vehicle for change, and an expression of our most cherished values. There is no doubt that Ray will continue to inspire many more generations with his writing, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."


Barack Obama

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: GUEST,Mary Katherine
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 08:40 PM

If ever ANYONE deserved to have his ashes carried out into space...!

Here's my Ray Bradbury story: My daughter Jennifer knew him, but I had never (at the time of this story) met him. At all. Never laid eyes on him. But of course I knew who he was and owned several of his books. One day Jennifer tells me that he will he coming in for lunch to the place she was then working, and I took a couple of my old paperbacks off the shelf and said, please get these autographed for me, it would be an honor. So off go the books, and back they come that night, autographed "to Mary Katherine, with fondest affection, Ray Bradbury." And "to Mary Katherine, with mad love, Ray Bradbury." And so forth. I was waiting for one to say "with undying passion," but I guess I didn't send enough books for him to get to that point. I just thought it was hilarious that he would sign so intimately to someone he had never met! I will treasure these books.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 08:45 PM

Great story! And I bet you could have taken them down yourself and he would have signed them for you there. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 Jun 12 - 10:08 PM

No shortage of places to find the sorrow. Lots of us affected.

One site that posted an obitiuary did show a side comment:

"Fahrenheit 451 finally available as ebook"

No details were given, but there was some suggestion some time back that arrangements for similar "e-releases" of other of his works might also be planned.

Maybe the "new generation" who don't seem to know what a "book" is will have a chance to join his old fans.

They'd damned well best show the respect he's earned.

(IMO)

John

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 07 Jun 12 - 01:22 AM

Wonderful author.

DYNAMIC Motational speaker,..
Heard him at :
Two conferences...
Two commencements
One play introduction "Ice Cream Suit "
Two times shook hands at "play eadings " (play walk throughs at intimate theatres)

No pretentions.
A simple, humble guy .... with the remarkable gift of sharing wings to fantastic flights of fantasy.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

In the orange tinged evenings of 8th grade

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 07 Jun 12 - 02:59 AM

Mr. Bradbury liked to think on death...
Drummer Boy of Shiloh
The Veldt "Nothing ever likes to die ... even a room.

Imprinted in my soul is a memorized monologue published multipe ways ....and in Dandylion Wine   


So if trollys and runabouts and friends and near friends can go away for awhile, or go away forever, or rust, or fall apart or die, and if people can be murdered, and if someone like great -grand -ma, who was going to live forever, can die...and if all of this true...then I, Douglas Spaulding...someday...must....


Something Wicked
Is Death important? No. Everything that happens before Death is what counts. And we've done fine tonight. Even Death can't spoil it.

Fever Dream
They put him between fresh, clean, laundered sheets and there was always ... I am dead, he thought. I've been killed, and yet I live. My body is dead ...

Sincerely,


Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 07 Jun 12 - 05:36 AM

A couple of months back I was reading some of is short stories.
He drew pictures in words.
A strange totally alien world I would never visit and didn't quite understand.
America when he was young.
Quack!
Geoff the Duck.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Wesley S
Date: 07 Jun 12 - 08:26 AM

"Fahrenheit 451 finally available as ebook"


Hmmmm..... At what temperature does an ebook burn?

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 07 Jun 12 - 09:41 AM

Geoff,

Actually very well said.

Thanks

Don

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: goatfell
Date: 07 Jun 12 - 11:00 AM

RIP so sad

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: fat B****rd
Date: 07 Jun 12 - 12:09 PM

"There 'avent arf been some clever b******s"
A great man. The screen play for John Huston's "Moby Dick" film as well as all the other stuff.
RIP. Bradbury.

Subject: RE: Obit: Ray Bradbury 20 Aug. 1920- 6 June 2012
From: Wesley S
Date: 07 Jun 12 - 02:00 PM

One story I read in today's paper was that Ray Bradbury was fascinated at an early age with dinosaurs. And the only other kid around that shared his interest was a young Ray Harryhausen who grew up to be the great special effects wizard.