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| '''Ray Douglas Bradbury''' (born [[August 22]] [[1920]]) is an [[United States|American]] writer of novels, essays and short stories, particularly on topics in [[Fantasy fiction|fantasy]], [[Horror fiction|horror]], [[science fiction]], and [[mystery fiction|mystery]]. He is probably best known for ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'', a 1950 book which can be seen as either a [[short story]] collection or a [[novel]], and his 1953 [[dystopia]]n novel ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]''. | | {{subpages}} |
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| | {{Image|Ray Bradbury (1975).jpg|right|300px|Ray Bradbury in 1975.}} |
| | '''Ray Douglas Bradbury''' (1920 - 2012) was an [[United States of America|American]] [[science fiction]] and [[Fantasy (storytelling)|fantasy]] writer particularly remembered for his 1953 [[dystopia]]n novel ''Fahrenheit 451'' (made into a film in 1966) and the 1950 ''The Martian Chronicles'' (viewed either as a [[short story]] collection or a [[novel]]). A number of his works were adapted for film. |
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| ==Beginnings== | | ==Beginnings== |
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| A chance encounter in a Los Angeles bookstore with the British expatriate writer [[Christopher Isherwood]] gave Bradbury the opportunity to put ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'' into the hands of a respected critic. Isherwood's glowing review followed and was a substantial boost to Bradbury's career. | | A chance encounter in a Los Angeles bookstore with the British expatriate writer [[Christopher Isherwood]] gave Bradbury the opportunity to put ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'' into the hands of a respected critic. Isherwood's glowing review followed and was a substantial boost to Bradbury's career. |
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| ==Works==
| | Bradbury died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home on 5 June 2012.<ref>{{cite news|author=Staff writer|date=6 June 2012|title=Author Ray Bradbury dies, aged 91|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18345350|work=BBC News|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=8 November 2013}}</ref> |
| Although Bradbury is often described as a [[science fiction]] writer, Bradbury does not describe himself in that way:
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| <blockquote>First of all, I don't write science fiction. I've only done one science fiction book and that's ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'', based on reality. Science fiction is a depiction of the real. Fantasy is a depiction of the unreal. So ''[[Martian Chronicles]]'' is not science fiction, it's fantasy. It couldn't happen, you see? That's the reason it's going to be around a long time—because it's a Greek myth, and myths have staying power.<ref>http://weeklywire.com/ww/09-27-99/alibi_feat1.html</ref></blockquote>
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| Besides his better known fiction work, Bradbury has written many [[essay]]s on art and culture. Bradbury was a consultant for the American Pavilion at the [[1964 New York World's Fair]] and the original exhibit housed in [[Epcot]]'s [[Spaceship Earth (Disney)|Spaceship Earth]] geosphere at [[Walt Disney World]] <ref name="Ray Bradbury, Spaceship Earth 1">Ray Bradbury. "In 1982 he created the interior metaphors for the Spaceship Earth display at Epcot Center, Disney World." http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html</ref><ref name="Ray Bradbury, Spaceship Earth 2">Ray Bradbury. "The images at Spaceship Earth in DisneyWorld's EPCOT Center in Orlando? Well, they are all Bradbury's ideas." http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_town_talk.html</ref><ref name="Ray Bradbury, Spaceship Earth 3">Ray Bradbury. "He also serves as a consultant, having collaborated, for example, in the design of a pavilion in the Epcot Center at Walt Disney World." Referring to Spaceship Earth ...http://www.raybradbury.com/articles_book_mag.html</ref>.
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| ===Novels===
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| * (1950) ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]''
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| * (1953) ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]''
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| * (1957) ''[[Dandelion Wine]]''
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| * (1962) ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]''
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| * (1972) ''[[The Halloween Tree]]''
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| * (1985) ''[[Death Is a Lonely Business]]''
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| * (1990) ''[[A Graveyard for Lunatics]]''
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| * (1992) ''[[Green Shadows, White Whale]]''
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| * (2001) ''[[From the Dust Returned]]''
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| * (2003) ''[[Let's All Kill Constance]]''
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| * (2006) ''[[Farewell Summer]]''
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| ===Short story collections===
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| In addition to these collections, many of the stories have been published in multi-author anthologies. Almost 50 additional Bradbury stories have never been collected anywhere after their initial publication in periodicals.<ref>Jonathan R. Eller and William F. Touponce, ''Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction'', Kent State University Press (2004). ISBN 0-87338-779-1</ref>
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| * (1947) ''[[Dark Carnival (book)|Dark Carnival]]''
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| * (1951) ''[[The Illustrated Man]]''
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| * (1953) ''[[The Golden Apples of the Sun]]''
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| * (1955) ''[[The October Country]]''
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| * (1959) ''[[A Medicine for Melancholy]]''
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| * (1962) ''[[R is for Rocket]]''
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| * (1962) ''[[The Small Assassin]]''
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| * (1964) ''[[The Machineries of Joy]]''
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| * (1965) ''[[The Vintage Bradbury]]''
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| * (1966) ''[[S is for Space]]''
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| * (1966) ''[[Twice 22]]''
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| * (1969) ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (Bradbury)|I Sing The Body Electric]]''
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| * (1976) ''[[Long After Midnight]]''
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| * (1980) ''[[The Stories of Ray Bradbury]]''
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| * (1984) ''[[A Memory of Murder]]''
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| * (1988) ''[[The Toynbee Convector]]''
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| * (1996) ''[[Quicker Than The Eye]]''
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| * (1997) ''[[Driving Blind]]''
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| * (2002) ''[[One More for the Road]]''
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| * (2003) ''[[Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales]]''
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| * (2004) ''[[The Cat's Pajamas: Stories]]''
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| * (2005) ''[[A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories]]''
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| ===Plays===
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| * (1948) ''[[The Meadow]]''
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| * (1963) ''[[The Anthem Sprinters and Other Antics]]''
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| * (1966) ''[[The Day It Rained Forever]]''
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| * (1966) ''[[The Pedestrian]]''
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| * (1972) ''[[The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit and Other Plays]]''
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| * (1975) ''[[Pillar of Fire and Other Plays]]''
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| * (1986) ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]''
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| * (1986) ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]''
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| * (1988) ''[[Dandelion Wine]]''
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| * (1988) ''[[Falling Upward]]''
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| * (1988) ''[[Bradbury on Stage: A Chrestomathy of His Plays]]''
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| {{col-2}}
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| ===Screenplays and teleplays===
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| This list does not include adaptations by others of Bradbury's published stories.
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| * (1953) ''[[It Came from Outer Space (book)|It Came from Outer Space]]'' (original story)
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| * (1956) ''[[Moby Dick (1956 film)|Moby Dick]]''
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| * ''[[Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre]]''
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| ** (1956) ''The Bullet Trick'' / ''The Marked Bullet''
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| * ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
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| ** (1956) ''Shopping for Death''
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| ** (1958) ''Design for Loving''
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| ** (1959) ''Special Delivery''
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| ** (1962) ''The Faith of Aaron Menefee'' (from the story by Stanley Ellin)
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| * ''[[Steve Canyon]]''
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| ** (1959) ''The Gift''
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| * ''[[Trouble Shooters]]''
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| ** (1959) ''The Tunnel to Yesterday''
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| * (1961) ''[[King of Kings (film)|King of Kings]]'' (narration, uncredited)
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| * ''[[The Twilight Zone]]''
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| ** (1962) ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (The Twilight Zone)|I Sing the Body Electric]]''
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| * ''[[Alcoa Premiere]]''
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| ** (1962) ''The Jail''
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| * (1962) ''[[Icarus Montgolfier Wright]]''
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| * (1963) ''Dial Double Zero'' (The Story of a Writer)
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| * ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]''
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| ** (1964) ''The Life Work of Juan Diaz''
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| * (1969) ''[[The Picasso Summer]]''
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| * ''[[The Curiosity Shop]]''
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| ** (1971) ''The Groon''
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| * (1979) ''[[Gnomes (movie)|Gnomes]]''
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| * (1982) ''[[The Electric Grandmother]]''
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| * (1983) ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983 film)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]''
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| * (1983) ''[[Quest (movie)|Quest]]''
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| * (1985-1992) ''[[The Ray Bradbury Theater]]''
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| * ''[[The Twilight Zone]]''
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| ** (1986) ''The Elevator''
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| * (1992) ''[[Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland]]''
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| * (1993) ''[[The Halloween Tree]]''
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| * (1998) ''[[The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit]]''
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| * (2003) ''[[It Came from Outer Space (book)|It Came from Outer Space]]''
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| ===Radio===
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| This list does not include adaptations by others of Bradbury's published stories.
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| * ''[[World Security Workshop]]''
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| ** (1947) ''[[The Meadow]]''
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| * ''[[Suspense (radio program)|Suspense]]''
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| ** (1947) ''Riabouchinska'' (story)
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| ** (1948) ''Summer Night'' (story)
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| ** (1948) ''The Screaming Woman'' (story)
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| * (1968) ''[[Leviathan '99]]''
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| ===Poetry===
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| * (1975) ''[[When Elephants Last in the Dooryard Bloomed]]''
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| * (1977) ''[[Where Robot Mice and Robot Men Run Round in Robot Towns]]''
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| * (1980) ''[[The Ghosts of Forever]]''
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| * (1981) ''[[The Haunted Computer and the Android Pope]]''
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| * (2002) ''[[They Have Not Seen the Stars: The Collected Poetry of Ray Bradbury]]''
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| {{col-2}}
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| ===Children===
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| * (1955) ''[[Switch on the Night]]''
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| * (1997) ''[[With Cat for Comforter]]''
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| * (1997) ''[[Dogs Think That Every Day Is Christmas]]''
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| ===Fable===
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| * (1998) ''[[Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines]]''
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| ===Anthologies===
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| * (1952) ''[[Timeless Stories for Today and Tomorrow]]''
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| * (1956) ''[[The Circus of Dr. Lao and Other Improbable Stories]]''
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| ===Non-fiction===
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| * (1990) ''[[Zen in the Art of Writing]]''
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| * (1991) ''[[Yestermorrow: Obvious Answers to Impossible Futures]]''
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| * (2004) ''[[Conversations With Ray Bradbury]]''
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| * (2005) ''[[Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars]]''
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| ==Adaptations of his work==
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| Many of Bradbury's stories and [[novel]]s have been adapted to films, radio, television, theater and comic books. From 1951 to 1954, 27 of Bradbury's stories were adapted by [[Al Feldstein]] for [[EC Comics]], and 16 of these were collected in the paperbacks, ''The Autumn People'' (1965) and ''Tomorrow Midnight'' (1966).
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| Also in the early 1950s, adaptations of Bradbury's stories were televised on a variety of shows including ''Tales of Tomorrow'', ''Lights Out'', ''Out There'', ''Suspense'', ''CBS Television Workshop'', ''Jane Wyman's Fireside Theatre'', ''Star Tonight'', ''Windows'' and ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents''. "The Merry-Go-Round," a half-hour film adaptation of Bradbury's "The Black Ferris," praised by ''Variety'', was shown on ''Starlight Summer Theater'' in 1954 and NBC's ''Sneak Preview'' in 1956.
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| From 1985 to 1992 Bradbury hosted a [[television syndication|syndicated]] anthology television series, ''[[The Ray Bradbury Theater]]'', for which he adapted 65 of his stories. Each episode would begin with a shot of Bradbury in his office, gazing over mementoes of his life, which he states (in narrative) are used to spark ideas for stories.
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| ''[[The Martian Chronicles (TV miniseries)|The Martian Chronicles]]'' became a three-part TV [[miniseries]] starring [[Rock Hudson]] which was first broadcast by [[NBC]] in 1980.
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| Director [[Jack Arnold]] first brought Bradbury to movie theaters in 1953 with ''[[It Came from Outer Space (book)|It Came from Outer Space]]'', a [[Harry Essex]] screenplay developed from Bradbury's screen treatment, "The Meteor". Three weeks later, [[Eugène Lourié]]'s ''[[The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms]]'' (1953), based on Bradbury's "[[The Fog Horn]]," about a sea monster mistaking the sound of a fog horn for the mating cry of a female, was released. Bradbury's close friend [[Ray Harryhausen]] produced the stop-motion animation of the creature. (Bradbury would later return the favor by writing a short story, "Tyrannosaurus Rex", about a stop-motion animator who strongly resembled Harryhausen.) Over the next 50 years, more than 35 features, shorts, and TV movies were based on Bradbury's stories or screenplays.
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| Recently, [[Peter Hyams]]' film version of Bradbury's 1953 story, ''A Sound of Thunder'' (2005), brought an almost unanimous negative reaction from film critics. Reviewing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', A.O. Scott observed that "it illustrates the dangers of turning a lean, elegant short story into a loud, noisy, incoherent [[B movie]]."
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| [[Oskar Werner]] and [[Julie Christie]] starred in ''[[Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)|Fahrenheit 451]]'' (1966), an adaptation of Bradbury's novel by [[François Truffaut]]. A [[Fahrenheit 451 (2007 film)|new film version]] of ''Fahrenheit 451'' is being planned by director [[Frank Darabont]]. In 2002, Bradbury's own Pandemonium Theatre Company production of ''Fahrenheit 451'' at Burbank's Falcon Theatre combined live acting with projected digital animation by the [http://sromagazine.biz/mag/one_hot_stage/index.html Pixel Pups]. In [[1984]] [[Telarium]] released a [[video game]] for [[Commodore 64]] based on ''Fahrenheit 451''.[http://www.lemon64.com/?game_id=1567] Bradbury and director Charles Rome Smith co-founded Pandemonium in 1964, staging the New York production of ''The World of Ray Bradbury'' (1964), adaptations of "[[The Pedestrian]]," "The Veldt" and "To the Chicago Abyss."
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| ==Honors and awards== | | ==Honors and awards== |
| * Ray Bradbury was given a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6644 Hollywood Blvd due to his contributions to the movie industry. | | * Ray Bradbury was given a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6644 Hollywood Blvd due to his contributions to the movie industry. |
| * An [[asteroid]] is named in his honor, "[[9766 Bradbury]]," along with a crater on the moon called "Dandelion Crater" (named after his novel, ''[[Dandelion Wine]]''.) | | * An [[asteroid]] is named in his honor, "[[9766 Bradbury]]," along with a crater on the moon called "Dandelion Crater" (named after his novel, ''[[Dandelion Wine]]''.) |
| * On April 16, 2007, Bradbury received a [[2007 Pulitzer Prize|special citation from The Pulitzer Board]], "for his distinguished, prolific, and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy."<ref>[http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2007/special-citation/ 2007 Special Awards] from the [[Pulitzer Prize]] website]</ref> | | * On April 16, 2007, Bradbury received a [[2007 Pulitzer Prize|special citation from The Pulitzer Board]], "for his distinguished, prolific, and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy."<ref>[http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2007/special-citation/ 2007 Special Awards] from the [[Pulitzer Prize]] website</ref> |
| * On [[November 17]], [[2004]], Bradbury was the recipient of the [[National Medal of Arts]], presented by President [[George W. Bush]] and [[Laura Bush]]. Bradbury has also received the [[World Fantasy Award]] life achievement, [[Stoker Award]] life achievement, [[SFWA Grand Master]], SF Hall of Fame Living Inductee, and First Fandom Award. He received an [[Emmy Award]] for his work on ''[[The Halloween Tree]]''. | | * On November 17, 2004, Bradbury was the recipient of the [[National Medal of Arts]], presented by President [[George W. Bush]] and [[Laura Bush]]. Bradbury has also received the [[World Fantasy Award]] life achievement, [[Stoker Award]] life achievement, [[SFWA Grand Master]], SF Hall of Fame Living Inductee, and First Fandom Award. He received an [[Emmy Award]] for his work on ''[[The Halloween Tree]]''. |
| * The "About the Author" sections in several of his published works claim that he has been nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]. A search of the Academy's awards database proves this to be incorrect.<ref>http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/BasicSearchInput.jsp</ref> One short film he worked on, ''[[Icarus Montgolfier Wright]]''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056091/| title = Icarus Montgolfier Wright </ref> was nominated for an [[Academy Award]], but Bradbury himself has not been. | | * The "About the Author" sections in several of his published works claim that he has been nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]. A search of the Academy's awards database proves this to be incorrect.<ref>http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/BasicSearchInput.jsp</ref> One short film he worked on, ''[[Icarus Montgolfier Wright]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=''Icarus Montgolfier Wright'' (1962)|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/240279|work=BFI Film & TV Database|publisher=British Film Institute|accessdate=8 November 2013}}</ref> was nominated for an [[Academy Award]], but Bradbury himself has not been. |
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| | ==Documentaries about Ray Bradbury== |
| | * Bradbury's works and approach to writing are documented in [[Terry Sanders]]' film ''Ray Bradbury: Story of a Writer'' (1963). |
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| ==Further reading== | | == Provenance == |
| * [[William F. Nolan]], ''The Ray Bradbury Companion: A Life and Career History, Photolog, and Comprehensive Checklist of Writings'', Gale Research (1975). Hardcover, 339 pages. ISBN 0-8103-0930-0
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| * Donn Albright, ''Bradbury Bits & Pieces: The Ray Bradbury Bibliography, 1974-88'', Starmont House (1990). ISBN 155742151X
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| * Robin Anne Reid, ''Ray Bradbury: A Critical Companion'', Greenwood Press (2000). 133 pages. ISBN 0313309019
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| * Jerry Weist, ''Bradbury, an Illustrated Life: A Journey to Far Metaphor'', [[William Morrow and Company|William Morrow & Company]] (2002). Hardcover, 208 pages. ISBN 0-06-001182-3
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| * Jonathan R. Eller and William F. Touponce, ''Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction'', Kent State University Press (2004). Hardcover, 320 pages. ISBN 0-87338-779-1
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| * [[Sam Weller]], ''The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury'', HarperCollins (2005). Hardcover, 384 pages. ISBN 0-06-054581-X
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| ==Documentaries about Ray Bradbury== | | ==Notes== |
| * Bradbury's works and approach to writing are documented in [[Terry Sanders]]' film ''Ray Bradbury: Story of a Writer'' (1963).
| | <references> |
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| ==References==
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| General references:
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| *{{cite book | last=Tuck | first=Donald H. | authorlink=Donald H. Tuck | title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy | location=Chicago | publisher=[[Advent (publisher)|Advent]] | pages=61-63 | date=1974|id=ISBN 0-911682-20-1}}
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| Specific references:
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| {{reflist}}
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| ==External links==
| | </references> |
| * [http://www.raybradbury.com/ Ray Bradbury] - Official site
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| * [http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/books/08/23/people.bradbury.ap/index.html]
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| * [http://www.bradburymedia.co.uk Bradbury Media] - Extensive coverage of work in film, TV, radio plus exhaustive short story cross-reference.
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| * [http://www.americanfilmfoundation.com/order/ray_bradbury.shtml Ray Bradbury: Story of a Writer], film by Terry Sanders
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| * [http://immersion.raybradbury.ru Illustrated guide to Bradbury's stories] (English, Polish and Russian languages)
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| * [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/authors/Ray_Bradbury.htm Exhaustive bibliography at FantasticFiction.com]
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| * [http://www.erinorourke.com/bradbury.html Survey of Scholarship] Detailed look at critical scholarship of Bradbury's works throughout his career.
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| * [http://wiredforbooks.org/raybradbury/ Two audio interviews of Ray Bradbury (1992 and 1993), RealAudio]
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| * [http://www.raybradbury.com/at_home_clips.html Videos of Bradbury on the Internet, censorship and other subjects]
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