tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post2507411887918788330..comments2024-03-25T10:22:04.995-07:00Comments on Ed Gorman's blog: The literary father of so many of us - Ray Bradbury dead at 91Ed Gormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06126267358266480356noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post-26144779238658728722012-06-07T07:37:40.978-07:002012-06-07T07:37:40.978-07:00RIP to a great American author. That rare writer w...RIP to a great American author. That rare writer whose work can be enjoyed by adults and young adults, without insulting the intelligence of either group. If there's a silver lining, maybe this will mark a resurgence of interest in his books. "The October Country" is one of the best collections of horror stories ever written. And his most famous work, "Fahrenheit 51", is a landmark novel and a hell of a good read. It is deservingly renowned for its convincing portrayal of a totalitarian state that controls through censorship and propaganda. But the book is also remarkably prescient in its depiction of numbing new technologies that seem to anticipate electronic surveillance, interactive "virtual" communications, and even reality TV. Sadly, it also foresees the decline of the bound word; it is best read in "hard copy" form!~https://www.blogger.com/profile/07775795950513629761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post-28241113013873332242012-06-07T07:34:04.728-07:002012-06-07T07:34:04.728-07:00Back in the 1970s, I met him, well, watched him ho...Back in the 1970s, I met him, well, watched him hold court at the Santa Barbara Writers Workshop.<br /><br />During the daytime the honorees held court and we were their audiences.<br /><br />We the attendees had pirate workshops every night. Small groups that would meet and go over the stories writing by us, the nameless, the faceless.<br /><br />Some nights the Big Names came and sat in, offered advice and solace.<br /><br />One night Ray Bradbury sat in with us. We were all amazed & astonished.<br /><br />Someone asked him if he was good at tennis.<br /><br />“I don’t play tennis.”<br /><br />But we always see you in tennis whites. Day or night.<br /><br />“I photograph better in tennis whites.”<br /><br />Then a timid young woman read (with much nervousness) her story about her husband and her vacation to Greece. How they went hiking, saw a small cottage with plastic chairs and a table under a Cinzano umbrella.<br /><br />So, exhausted, they went and sat down.<br /><br />The owners, a man and a woman, came out. What with the language barrier, after much consternation and back and fro, the owners brought out a carafe of wine and some bread and rolls.<br /><br />The Americans had a fine rest and refreshment.<br /><br />And then they discovered that this was not a restaurant, but a private residence.<br /><br />That’s when Ray Bradbury took over. He interrupted the story before its ending and began loudly re-imagining it.<br /><br />“This is how you can enhance and enrich it,” he said.<br /><br />The Greek Gods, Zeus and Athena, Apollo and Hermes, came and sat down in this private home and had wine and refreshments. While the home’s owners watched them argue and gossip from behind curtains …<br /><br />It was a great ad-lib. A great Bradbury story with grand images and great flourishes.<br /><br />The timid young woman kept shrinking into her seat, lowering her head, chewing her lower lip, hiding herself … crushed just like her story.<br /><br />Bradbury hijacked her work in front of everyone.<br /><br />No one could match Bradbury’s imagination.<br /><br />I didn’t like the guy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36271824.post-53507267864098236102012-06-06T12:43:35.063-07:002012-06-06T12:43:35.063-07:00Comedians and writers live long lives. I think it&...Comedians and writers live long lives. I think it's the constant mental gymnastics. Wow! 91. I met him briefly about 18 years ago. A gentleman. <br /><br />RJRRJRnoreply@blogger.com