This forum doesn't seem to have an FAQ - and yet those of us who hang out here seem to see the same questions popping up over and over again.

With this in mind, I would like to produce an unofficial FAQ, which I will house on my website. Periodically, I could post a reminder on the forum that the FAQ exists.

I would be grateful for some nominations of frequently asked questions. Here is what I have come up with so far:

Who is Ray Bradbury?
Is he still alive?
Is he still writing?
Isn't he a science fiction writer?
What has he written?
What books are recommended for beginners?
Which Bradbury stories have been made into films?
What is the title of the story in which...?
In my schooldays, we were shown a short film based on a Bradbury story. What was it called, and where can I get a copy?
Does Bradbury write romantic fiction under a pseudonym?
One of my favourite short stories is called [insert title here]. Where can I find it?
What are Ray Bradbury's religious views?
What are his political views?
Are there any new Bradbury books in the pipeline?
Did Ray Bradbury write for TV shows?
Are any of Bradbury's stories available on the web?
Where can I buy Ray Bradbury books?


Any suggestions for additions or deletions?

- Phil

[This message has been edited by philnic (edited 03-29-2004).]

Excellent idea!! Here are two contributions from yours truly . . .

BOOKS OF CRITICISM ON RAY BRADBURY:

Read his books, stories and poetry carefully. His writing rewards investigation.

Read all his forwards, introductions and afterwords. He has a lot of informtion in those parts of his books and collections.

Do a Google search on Ray Bradbury interviews (or some variable). Ray's interviews are always interesting, as he's very creative and opinionated.

There are actually quite a few books on Bradbury and his writing:

RAY BRADBURY (WRITERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY SERIES) Ed. Joseph D. Olander, Martin Harry Greenberg. Taplinger Publishing Co, NY. 1980

READINGS ON RAY BRADBURY: FARENHEIT 451. Ed. Katie de Koster. Greenhaven Press, San Diego. 2000.

RAY BRADBURY: A CRITICAL COMPANION (CRITICAL COMPANIONS TO POPULAR CONTEMPORARY WRITERS). Robin Ann Reid. Greenwood Press, CT. 2000.

RAY BRADBURY (TWAYNE'S UNITED STATES AUTHORS SERIES). David Mogen. Twayne Publishers, Boston. 1986.

FARENEHIT 451 AND RELATED WRITINGS:RAY BRADBURY (LITERATURE CONNECTIONS). McDougall Little, Evanstan IL. 1998.

RAY BRADBURY'S FAHRENHEIT 451 (MODERN CRITICAL INTERPRETATIONS). eD. hAROLD bLOOM. Chelsea House Pub, Philadelphia. 2003.

THE RAY BRADBURY COMPANION. William F. Nolan. Gale Research, Detroit. 1975.

BRADBURY: AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE -- A JOURNEY TO FAR METAPHOR. Jerry Weist. William Morrow, NY. 2002.

Good hunting.

SOURCES OF RAY BRADBURY'S INTEREST IN CENSORSHIP:

In his forward in the 40th anniversary edition of Farenheit 451, Bradbury addresses the issues leading to his focus on censorship. They included the following (some direct, contemporary experiences, some things he'd read about):
-- Activities of the "Un-American Activities Committee (prior to the McCarthy hearings.)

-- The McCarthy hearings and issues related to that period. (He discusses McCarthy's removal of books from the Army's library, and Eisenhower's return of those books to the shelves.)

-- Hitler's book-burnings.

-- Stalin's rumored book-burnings.

-- The witch hunts in Salem (in which an ancestor was charged, but not burned).

-- The burning of the Alexandrian Library in ancient history.

-- His love of libraries and bookstores.

-- An encounter with a policeman while out for a walk, which led to the writing of "The Pedestrian". This led to the character Montag, and to Farenheit 451.

-- He says he could not afford college, so he lived in libraries.

-- He also cites his love of books and ideas as driving him to oppose censorship and the restriction of ideas.

-- He also cites Hugh Hefner and the founding of Playboy magazine -- which Bradbury cites as a venture that had to overcome a "frightened nation" and which, according to Bradbury, "shocked and improved" the world. Obviously, he sees Playboy as an effort to overcome censorhip and the fear of ideas.

He recounts his library/book/censorship stories as including: "The Bonfire," "Bright Phoenix," "The Exiles," "Usher II," -- all leading up to F451.

He says he has probably written more stories, novels, plays, poems, etc., about libraries than any other writer today.

He cites the library in "Something Wicked This Way Comes" as the central battleground between good and evil (Mr. Dark and Mr. Halloway).

I love this line: "All the women in my life have been teachers, librarians or booksellers. I found my wife, Maggie, in a bookship in the spring of 1946."

Obviously, there are a lot of influences in Bradbury's focus on issues of censorship and the restriction of ideas. I think his love of ideas is, however, the driving force . . . his unwavering belief that the free exchange of ideas is what will allow mankind to achieve the best possible in him.

(Forward published in: FARENHEIT 451: 40TH ANNIVERSAY EDITION. Ray Bradbury. Simon and Schuster, NY. New forward, c 1993.)


[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 03-29-2004).]

Tell you what would be one of the most amazing things ...if we could '''organize''' all the stuff that's been posted on THIS Ray Bradbury site.

Good grief. Just think: most everything is here.

But this labor of love would have to have some rational to it. Specifically, could it be really be done at all?
Or is it just too impossible a task?

Mr Dark,

thanks for the excellent info. This is definitely FAQ material, given the number of people posting to the message board about researching for term papers etc.

Nard,

I suspect that to literally index the message board would be an impossible task, not least because it is in constant flux. However, I like the spirit of your suggestion, and in fact I would like to populate the FAQ with weblinks to specific threads.

- Phil

Hey, this is great. It may end up saving wear and tear on all of us.

OK folks, I posted a first draft of the FAQ on my website: http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in5379/
(Click on the FAQ link)

Please bear in mind that this is the work of just one evening, and much more needs to be done. But I would very grateful for any feedback, suggestions, corrections etc.

- Phil

philnic:

This is so well done. You have to be congratulated.

Links to posts? Wow. That's a truly nifty idea.

Philnic:

I've sent you an email, under separate cover, with a suggestion for how to describe Bradbury's religious views (without putting too many words in his mouth). I hope it is helpful.

Mr. Dark

Great job on the RB page!!!!

You may want to link to "Complete Story Listings," which lists all uncollected stories, and "Story Classifications," which lists all published stories that I know of, with alternate titles. Although you may already have the stories listed, I am working on classifying each story by type and settings, which may prove helpful.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support. I have incorporated the above suggestions into the new draft - at the usual location: http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in5379/

dandelion, thanks for the suggestion of linking to those threads. I have now done this. There is one more thread I want to link to, but I can't find it. Some time ago there was a discussion of a hypothetical "Martian Chronicles II". Can you remember what this thread was called?

Great stuff, Philnic:

On the thread about whether or not his novels are really novels, it may not hurt to mention that Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg Ohio" and Hemingway's "In Our Time" are formatted in this exact way. These are both significant books by significant authors. Bradbury has specifically mentioned Sherwood Anderson as an influence.

On the non-fiction question, you might want to add:

YESTERMORROW: OBVIOUS ANSWERS TO IMPOSSIBLE FUTURES. Ray Bradbury. Joshua O'Dell Editions, Santa Barbara. 1991.


[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 04-01-2004).]

All the english texts on russian site are listed here:
http://raybradbury.ru/cgi-bin/page.cgi?014

What the reason for anybody from USA not to publish Bradbury's texts on the web? Only copyright?

elron,

thanks for posting the specific link to your English texts. I have posted the link on the message board before. However, I chose NOT to put a direct link into my FAQ, as I don't want to upset Mr Bradbury or his publishers by promoting an unauthorised set of full texts.

(And yes, it is "only" copyright that prevents USA sites from carrying full texts. These stories belong to Ray, and he has the right to make a living from them. If people want to read the stories, there are plenty of his books that they can buy.)

- Phil

Yer-HA! More help from the infamous Mr. Dark. I will perhaps NOT fail my presentation tomorrow...

Excellent job on the site, philnic. *applauds*