big essay due SOON! enemy of the people project...my enemy is ray bradbury. i cant find any info or proof that proved he was actually blacklisted or got in any trouble for publishing "Fahrenheit 451" at the time...can anyone help me out here???

He was never blacklisted for any of his books, unless you mean simply that they were banned in various locations, and he never got in any trouble.

What you might try to do is find a list of places where F451 itself was banned -- rather than where Ray Bradbury was banned or blacklisted. You may be able to find that kind of information. Librarians are often informed of banned books listed, you may just call your local public library and ask the librarian for sources for this kind of thing.

This site has a long list of articles and lists of books that have been banned. You may want to start here:
http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=banned_books&OFFID=se1
http://www.booksatoz.com/censorship/banned.htm

I just did a google search on "banned books lists" I don't know if these take you anywhere in reference to F451, but it's a start.


[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 12-03-2003).]

Ray also gave a passionate speech about books and censorship in 1952...in the midst of the McCarthy era... to the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Women's Committee of Brandeis University. It was reprinted that same year in a booklet called NO MAN IS AN ISLAND, and is fascinating reading. However, it is extremely scarce (and very expensive even when copies turn up). I have read it, and it's a shame the speech is not readily available, as it is just as timely and relevant as it was over 50 years ago. I can only suggest you check a local library or university to see if they might have a copy. (Given it's value and scarcity, it's unlikely a library that has a copy would allow it to circulate.)

One more thought...the library of Bowling Green State University, in Bowling Green, Ohio, has a huge collection of Ray's works, donated by his close friend, William F. Nolan. I am almost certain that the Bradbury collection does not circulate, but the University might be able to help you in your research.

Richard--I'm going a little bit off topic from the original posting, but I wanted to comment on something you mentioned. You noted how Ray's speech, although over 50 years old, is still timely and relevant. I think that is one of Ray's writing traits that I've always admired the most. In my own reading and when I teach some of his stories to my lit classes, it always has amazed me how timely his stories are. When I look up the publication dates I get a jolt and my students are often shocked to see how many of them were written so long ago. He has some innate ability to chose topics and themes that are timeless. It seems like he just wrote them yesterday. Thanks for reminding me of yet another thing I love about the man!

thank you so much! but what i was more looking for was if he got any trouble for writing F451 in the McCarthy era...was he on the verge on being blacklisted by Joe McCarthy?

If so, there should be an FBI file on him. Is there any way to access these files, or at least find out who has them, through the Freedom of Information Act? I know Lucille Ball's file was made public as I remember reading about it somewhere.

crazyblondi4841: like Imskipper, I am not aware that Ray was in any danger of being blacklisted during the McCarthy era due to his writing and his anti-censorship stance.

Imskipper: I couldn't agree with you more about the timeless quality of Ray's writing. It's an attribute of all truly great writers: Shakespeare, Poe, Melville...the list could go on and on.

In an interview this summer I mentioned the 50 years since Joe McCarthy had run rampant and Ray offered his reflections. Ray's most poignant story was of an ad he took out in "Daily Variety" admonishing politicians who had hung on McCarthy's coattails to win public office on an anti-communist and anti-Jew diatribe.

We haven't been able to track down a copy yet, but I'd love to see it.