My junior year in high school, I wrote to author Larry Niven on behalf of a friend of mine who was a great admirer of his work, mentioning that I greatly admired Bradbury's work.

I don't feel like digging the letter out of the box just now to quote word-for-word, but I practically memorized the part about Bradbury, which was much along the lines of, he presents a story "by implying just a crucial part of it. And he makes it look so easy that many young writers break their hearts trying to imitate him."

I told this to another friend who said, "It's like when a Bradbury story begins, a window opens and the story is already going on. When it ends, the window closes, but the story is still going on."

Agreement, disagreement, or observations on breaking one's heart trying to imitate Bradbury?

Ray, as I've said many times, has that talent, possessed by a few great poets, of combining words in such a way that an entire atmosphere emerges, including sensory perceptions, that engulfs and transports the reader. In short, he can do in a short story what other writers would need a novel to do.

True. And possibly other authors can do this, but has anyone found any author who can do it as well?

No, I can not think of any one, except perhaps Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, et. al) but then Ray influenced Richard quite a bit.

Ray influenced plenty of people and was influenced by plenty of people but has anyone accomplished what he has so perfectly? I am not looking for authors "better than Ray"--just comparable!

Braling II~~Ray can do in a short story what Scotty did with the teleportation device!
And we certainly are glad he does.

N. Love
(aka "lovie"

Lovie, Good analogy!
Though, Ray's so prolific we'd never hear him say, "I canna' poosh these engines any harrrder, Keptin!"

Edgar Allan Poe was quite efficient in his short stories. The "window opening" thing pretty accurately describes what he does.

Richard Matheson quite often comes close, and so do Harlan Ellison and Theodore Sturgeon on occasion. And Robert Bloch. Most of these other guys have more than one style which they turn on or off according to their story needs, whereas Ray seems to have one style. I think Ray just has an intensity control, which he has bumped up or down a little over the years.

Besides Asimov, Bloch, and Matheson, the other author I always meant to read more of was Jack Finney.

Philnic,
I agree with you about Poe. Have you read any of his humourous short stories like "Some Words With A Mummy", or "The Spectacles"?
Poe was a true renaissance man and one of the greatest authors of all time; an assessment with which Mr. Bradbury, I'm sure, would agree.
Still, for me, no one puts me INTO the story like Bradbury. With a few perfectly chosen words (e.g. "..the color of cut lemons") he truly transports...

B-Two, I agree. Even though you know the hills and mountains aren't blue, I see it. He definately is a master magician! Well put by the way.