Ray Bradbury Forums
Bradbury and Poe

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30 December 2003, 01:21 AM
defoe
Bradbury and Poe
Hi, everyone. I'm new here, so I hope this post fits the category.
I'm currently reading the collected short stories of Poe and stumbled across a story that immediately reminded me of Bradbury--one of my favorite writers. (Actually, I'm also reading his collected stories, too. Bad habit of mine, reading five or more books at a time). Anyway, the name of the story was 'Some Words with a Mummy,' and it was odd finding such a strong connection between writers of such disparate eras/styles. Bradbury writes simply, while Poe can be maddeningly convoluted. Of course, I later read that Poe is one of Bradbury's influences, so I'm not surprised. But at the time it literally felt like I was reading a Bradbury story. I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on connections between Bradbury and other writers, past or present.
Of course, Bradbury belongs next to Poe on my bookshelf, and I think the world will agree in 100 years.
05 January 2004, 11:59 PM
Yestermorrow
Right. Though the styles and language are often different, I think there is a similar energy in the writings of Poe and Bradbury. I've read Bradbury jokingly comment that he thinks he is the long lost grandson of Poe, or something to that effect. No doubt, Bradbury got his love of strange and often morbid stories from Poe. It is said that Poe is the master of the short story, and I think Bradbury took over where he left off. None can equal them in the art of short story writing.
07 January 2004, 08:29 PM
jfaronson
Read "Usher II" in the Martian Chronicles.
08 January 2004, 05:04 AM
philnic
Better yet, read Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher", followed by "Bradbury's Usher II", followed by Robert Bloch's "The Man who Collected Poe"!
21 March 2008, 10:20 AM
philnic
Resurrecting another old thread! This time to post a link to a page discussing Bradbury and Poe. A nice summary of the main debates surrounding Bradbury's style and genre:

http://read-or-die.org/blog/2008/02/26/column-planetary...-of-edgar-allan-poe/


- Phil

Deputy Moderator | Visit my Bradbury website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk | Visit the Center for RB Studies: www.tinyurl.com/RBCenter
26 March 2008, 07:17 PM
Mr. Dark
Interesting site and article. Thanks for highlighting it, Phil. This is one of the things I like about the web--when used well, it can create communities of thought and commonalities. When mis-used, of course, it can be evil.....

Poe is truly one of the absolute greats: Short story, poetry, criticsm. I love his style and ability to create mood.