# RIP Ray Bradbury



## Tony Rabig (Oct 11, 2010)

One of the greats passed away this morning.  Physically, anyway.  The writer of FAHRENHEIT 451, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, THE OCTOBER COUNTRY, THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, and more good stories than I could list here will live for as long as people read.


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## Nathalie Hamidi (Jul 9, 2011)

http://io9.com/5916175/rip-ray-bradbury-author-of-fahrenheit-451-and-the-martian-chronicles

This is a sad, sad day.


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## GPB (Oct 2, 2010)

Great writer, amazing, full life. Props, Mr. Bradbury.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

I was so sad to see this on Twitter. _The Martian Chronicles_ is one of my favorite sci-fi books ever *sighs heavily*. Still, 91 is a grand old age to have lived to.


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## Amanda Brice (Feb 16, 2011)

Indeed.

My 5th grade enrichment teacher sent him a package of short stories we wrote in class that were inspired by his stories, and he arranged to call us to thank us for the stories and encourage us to keep writing. I don't think I realized at the time just how incredibly cool that was.

The writing community has lost a legend today.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

I once saw him speak at the L.A. Times Festival of Books.

In the biggest auditorium on campus at UCLA, he shuffled out to the podium like Tim Conway doing his little old man routine and I thought, "Uh-ohhhhh, what have I gotten myself into here?"

What I had gotten myself into, it turns out, is one of the best and most inspiring talks I've ever attended live.

He spoke of writing "Fahrenheit 451" in the library across the courtyard because he couldn't afford his own typewriter.

He spoke of working with John Huston to write the screenplay for "Moby Dick".

He spoke of passion.

With passion.

Then he shuffled back off-stage.

Todd


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Just read it on the news. Sad. He was giant. One of my favorites as a kid and later too. Some of his stories stay with you forever and few authors can do that. He wrote some great short stories too.

From the LA Times:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/06/author-ray-bradbury-dies-at-91-daughter-says.html


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

I wasn't all that into the chronicles, but I loved 451. _Via con dios._


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2012)

I always enjoyed his short stories. He may have been 91, but it's still hard to believe one of the greats has gone.

The LA Times has a feature here.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

I plan to reflect on and celebrate a great life, well-lived. Thanks for all the marvelous work, Mr. Bradbury!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Just saw this reported in a news feed. With Zelazny and now Bradbury gone, I'm waiting for some new talent I've not yet discovered to follow their footsteps in creating speculative fiction that makes your brain dance while your heart sings with their lyricism.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

"Your influence on us all, from 1939 on, cannot be measured. I can only say I remember, warmly, your many kindnesses to me when I was 19-20-21 years old. That young man basked in your light and will continue to be grateful for the help you offered when I was so poor and needful!"

-Ray Bradbury's letter to Robert A. Heinlein, 1976

"Ditto, Ray."

-B.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

... and I was just thinking about re-reading _The Martian Chronicles _.....


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

EllenFisher said:


> I was so sad to see this on Twitter. _The Martian Chronicles_ is one of my favorite sci-fi books ever *sighs heavily*. Still, 91 is a grand old age to have lived to.


The Martian Chronicles was right up my alley.

Sad news indeed.


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## JonDavis1 (Apr 11, 2012)

I just finished reading _The Creatures that Time Forgot_, and ordering a new copy of the _The Martian Chronicles_. I'm sad for his loss. He was a great, prolific, and eye-opening writer.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I hears this on the way here to my eye appt...where the world is slowly getting blurry as they dilate. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

A sad day.


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## 41352 (Apr 4, 2011)

Loved the Illustrated Man, about to start reading the Martian Chronicles. 

Sad day.


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

Slight argument to Amanda....

Sure we lost the man and yes, he is a legend. But have we truly lost anything? His works are still with us. What we CAN do to honor him is to keep up the fight and encourage people to look him up and keep reading his words.

Writers can aspire to do at least a third of what he managed to do in his lifetime.

We must ensure that the world of Fahrenheit 451 remains fictional


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

What a wondeful life he had and what an amazing legacy! *salute Mr. Bradbury*


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## 39179 (Mar 16, 2011)

What a loss. What a talent. Rest in peace.


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## MT Berlyn (Mar 27, 2012)

Godspeed Ray Bradbury, a man and writer of shining insight.  

I loved "Here There Be Tygers".


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

As a kid, his stories are one of the reasons I fell in love with reading/writing so much. I am thankful for the gift of the written word he has left us with.


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## Dave Adams (Apr 25, 2012)

Mr. Bradbury was my first "favorite author." Still have a good number of his books on my bookshelf. RIP.


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

I just read about Mr. Bradbury's passing over on Publishers Weekly.  What a tragic loss.


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2012)

FrankZubek said:


> We must ensure that the world of Fahrenheit 451 remains fictional


Amen, sir. Amen.

"There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches."


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

Just found this out.  Very, very sad.  Simply one of THE best writers ever.  He told the words what to do and they obeyed him without question.  He never grew up, even when he grew old.  May God Almighty have mercy on Mr. Bradbury's soul.

I think I might have a drink tonight in honor of the man.

Those of you here who have never read Mr. Bradbury need to carve a bit of time out, sit down with a story of his, and read.  Best time you'll ever invest in reading literature.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

It's been a sad year where we have lost some literary greats.  Still, I hope I can have half the run Mr. Bradbury did with my own writing.  RIP Ray.


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## Beth Dolgner (Nov 11, 2011)

Ray Bradbury is one of the reasons I became an author. I blogged about his death, and why he will Live Forever, this morning. My annual reading of The Halloween Tree will have a whole new meaning this October.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

This one got me bawling. 

“And when he died, I suddenly realized I wasn’t crying for him at all, but for the things he did. I cried because he would never do them again, he would never carve another piece of wood or help us raise doves and pigeons in the backyard or play the violin the way he did, or tell us jokes the way he did. He was part of us and when he died, all the actions stopped dead and there was no one to do them the way he did. He was individual. He was an important man. I’ve never gotten over his death. Often I think what wonderful carvings never came to birth because he died. How many jokes are missing from the world, and how many homing pigeons untouched by his hands? He shaped the world. He did things to the world. The world was bankrupted of ten million fine actions the night he passed on.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. 

It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

“Sunsets are loved because they vanish.

Flowers are loved because they go.

The dogs of the field and the cats of the kitchen are loved because soon they must depart.

These are not the sole reasons, but at the heart of morning welcomes and afternoon laughters is the promise of farewell. In the gray muzzle of an old dog we see goodbye. In the tired face of an old friend we read long journeys beyond returns.” 
― Ray Bradbury, From the Dust Returned

Another Bradbury passage on death:

"The father hesitated only a moment. He felt the vague pain in his chest. If I run, he thought, what will happen? Is Death important? No. Everything that happens before Death is what counts. And we've done fine tonight. Even Death can't spoil it. "

And another:

“No person ever died that had a family.” 

― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine


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## cheriereich (Feb 12, 2011)

Such sad news. It makes me want to take the time to read some of his novels.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I've been posting some quotes from him over in the Writer's Cafe, for anyone who wants to stay drunk.


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## LeonardDHilleyII (May 23, 2011)

The Martian Chronicles was something I read as a teenager.  Bradbury was a great author and his works and imagination are what inspired me to be an author.  Truly a great man with a wonderful way to spin a tale.  RIP.


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## Alpha72 (May 9, 2012)




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## KR Jacobsen (Jul 19, 2011)

Holy cow... this... wow. Ray is (I suppose I now have to say "was") one of my favorite writers. His ability to weave beautiful prose is so inspirational to me, never mind his vast and humbling imagination. 

I'm glad I was able to see him speak a few years ago. He was in poor health at the time, but I've *never* seen a person more full of love, passion, kindness, and heart than him when he spoke. It's an experience I'll never forget and I'll always cherish.

I love you, Ray.


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## Lady Runa (May 27, 2012)

Oh. And I thought I was having a good day. Until now.

RIP, Master.


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## Nancy_A_Collins (May 21, 2012)

I was saddened, if not surprised, to learn of Ray's passing today. The man lived a very long and influential life. He influenced me immeasurably as a young reader, and as a writer. The first short story of his I can remember reading was called _"The Homecoming",_ which was in *Alfred Hitchcock's Monster Museum*. It was the story of a human child born into a family of werewolves, vampires and witches, who all love him despite his 'difference'. I was probably 8 or 9 when I read that. I later stumbled across *The Illustrated Man *when I was around 10-11, and, not long after that, *Something Wicked This Way Comes. *I actually saw the film version of *Fahrenheit 451 *before I read it, but the effect it had on me was unchanged. I had the good fortune to thank Ray, personally, for his inspiration, nearly 20 years ago. And I'm glad I got that chance. He was a gracious, well-spoken man, and one who will be missed. But I have no doubt that he will continue to live on, both in his own works and those of the generations of writers he has influenced since he first put words to paper.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Very sad.  I think he was the last of giants.  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

I grew up in Waukegan, the town Bradbury grew up in until he moved away when he was about 13. When I was reading Dandelion Wine, I couldn't help being distracted by trying to pick out locations in town that matched the locations he described in his Greentown. He said he had based Greentown on growing up in Waukegan.

I always meant to go to the Dandelion Wine festival in a Waukegan park for the last dozen years or so, but never made it. This year's took place just this past weekend but I was working. He was also a big supporter of the Waukegan Public Library and I would see notices in the paper when he would be in town and doing a reading at the library. Unfortunately, I never made it to one.


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## MJWare (Jun 25, 2010)

I shed tears when I heard the news and I found myself unable to write a blog post in memory of him. 

At least he's not lost, he'll live forever in his words.


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## MGalloway (Jun 21, 2011)

As others have said...what a loss. Oddly enough, I picked up "S is for Space" this week from the library, along with several other books. I know which one I'm going to read first...


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## 57280 (Feb 20, 2012)

What a tremendous legacy of words.

This weekend, I'm gifting copies of my favorite Bradbury books to young readers.  It is the best way I know to honor him.


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## jongoff (Mar 31, 2011)

Ray Bradbury has been, and remains one of my writing heroes. The man told stories like no other, and was a prolific and imaginative writer.  He's the only one I've ever tried to write an homage to, and for better or worse, it's one of my better shorts.  We lost a great one.


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## SJ_Parkinson (Jun 2, 2012)

During my teen years, my book shelves had all of the Bradbury classics there. Well thumbed and with cracked spines, they were as much a staple read then as they are today. 

Condolences to Mr. Bradbury's family and close friends. 

You shall be missed, Sir.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

My boyhood hero. Heard him speak at a library when I was 14, and he was gracious and funny. Had him sign a copy of Something Wicked This Way Comes for my daughter on his 90th birthday, 50 years later. He was one of a kind.


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## Arthur Slade (Jan 20, 2011)

Add me to the list of those in mourning.

Absolutely loved his work. And was in the process of re-reading several of my favourites (The Martian Chronicles and R is for Rocket). 

Whenever I'm asked who my favourite author is...the answer was always Ray Bradbury...


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## JR_gin (Nov 30, 2011)

Here here to all of the above comments, truly this is the passing of a great man.

I will always remember the pleasure upon reading _The Martian Chronicles_ for the first time and finding it so unexpectedly moving. Ray Bradbury was a remarkable talent and I'm immensely thankful of the body of work that he has blessed us all with.


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## Al Stone (Mar 30, 2012)

Will surely be missed. Sad times.


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## RuthNestvold (Jan 4, 2012)

So sad. One of my favorite short stories of all time is a more obscure one, "And the Rock Cried Out." Amazing imagery, amazing sense of dread, all perfectly orchestrated. 

He will not be forgotten.


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2012)

It's taken me a few days to get my thoughts together on this. I don't usually get emotional over celebrity deaths. My normal result is usually either "Oh what I shame" or "well, who didn't see that coming?" But this one has been unusually heavy. I finally managed to get my thoughts on (virtual) paper about how I first came upon his work.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> It's taken me a few days to get my thoughts together on this. I don't usually get emotional over celebrity deaths. My normal result is usually either "Oh what I shame" or "well, who didn't see that coming?" But this one has been unusually heavy. I finally managed to get my thoughts on (virtual) paper about how I first came upon his work.


Very poignant, Julie. Thanks for sharing.


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## soyfrank (Feb 2, 2011)

"If you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. You must write every single day of your life. You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories - science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world." --Ray Bradbury


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## Alexandra Sokoloff (Sep 21, 2009)

soyfrank, as if I weren't weeping enough over this.  THANK YOU for that amazing quote. That just says everything.


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## soyfrank (Feb 2, 2011)

No problemo. When I found that one, I printed it out and taped it to my computer so I can see it and read it every day. Amazing!


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)




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## RuthNestvold (Jan 4, 2012)

Excellent quote, soyfrank. Thank you.


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## Arthur Slade (Jan 20, 2011)

Thanks for sharing, Intinst. I wonder how many people he wrote to. That in itself would be a book to read.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

He was not only a terrific writer who could hold his own against the literary greats (it was Christopher Isherwood, after all, who gave RB his first break with a rave review of his debut collection), he was unique. Many have tried to copy his style, all have fallen short. The guy was one of my few heroes, and we'll never see his like again.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I LOVE this tribute (the story about the Venus and Sun story is great). Please read, share, RT, enjoy:

By Steve Hubbard at BookReporter.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

LisaGraceBooks said:


> As a kid, his stories are one of the reasons I fell in love with reading/writing so much. I am thankful for the gift of the written word he has left us with.


Absolutely. It's exactly the same for me.


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

I was really sad to hear of Ray Bradbury's passing. He had a unique touch. My favorites of his include "The Illustrated Man," "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and many, many of his short stories including "The Jar," "The Crowd," "The October Game" and "The Black Ferris."


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

For the Bradbury fans who weary of print, I thought I'd mention that Fahrenheit 451 and a documentary covering Bradbury and some other science fiction folks called The Sci Fi Boys are available on Netflix streaming.  More stuff on DVD of course, including something called Ray Bradbury: An American Icon that looks pretty substantial (but I haven't viewed either it or Sci Fi Boys myself).


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## Tony Rabig (Oct 11, 2010)

And for more Bradbury material on disc, check out

Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby Is a Friend of Mine http://www.amazon.com/Any-Friend-Nicholas-Nickleby-Mine/dp/B000F9RLO4 This one was done for PBS Playhouse eons ago -- always thought this was the best of their short story adaptations; Fred Gwynne was terrific as Dickens.

The Ray Bradbury Theater http://www.amazon.com/The-Ray-Bradbury-Theater-Complete/dp/B0007CEXUY -- adaptations of 65 of Bradbury's short stories, and worth the price just for the episode "The Town Where No One Got Off" with Jeff Goldblum.

And a movie called The Picasso Summer, based on one of RB's short stories, is available on DVD now. Saw part of this one years ago, but I've never seen it all the way through.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I wrote what amounts to a tribute to Ray Bradbury while reviewing Prometheus critically:

Why You Shouldn't Read Fahrenheit 451 Before Seeing Prometheus


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