All this news about life on Mars comes as no surprise to Ray Bradbury fans. We read "The Martian Chronicles." We know all about life on Mars.
Ray Bradbury was born 76 years ago today in Waukegan, Ill. He lived briefly in Tucson on two occasions, attending Roskruge Elementary School when he was 6 and Amphitheater Junior High six years later.
He had an active imagination, which he later put to good use. He sold his first short story in 1941 and became a full-time writer in 1943.
"The Martian Chronicles," which established Bradbury as a leading science fiction writer, was originally 26 short stories brought together with transitions for the famous novel in 1950. In these stories we learn much of Bradbury's feelings about technology, ecology, racism and nuclear war. We also learn of the man's optimism. A television mini-series based on the novel was made in 1972.
Bradbury's strength has generally been in short stories. Many of his more popular books are collections of short stories tied together with a theme as in "The Illustrated Man." Each of the short stories begins as an illustration on a multi-tattooed man. This was adapted by Warner Brothers into a movie in 1969, but was a disappointment to Bradbury who did not collaborate on the movie.
His first true novel was "Fahrenheit 451," about a fireman who burns books instead of putting out fires. Bradbury 's optimism again wins the day in this story of a future where the printed word is illegal. The fireman joins an underground group of readers who memorize classics to preserve them for future generations. The 1966 movie by Universal was quite well-received.
Bradbury has the power to take us into space or into the darkness of a doomed soul. And with tattoos coming to life, firemen burning books and autumn carnivals making our most insidious dreams come true, life on Mars is small potatoes.
