This past week one of the true giants of fantastic literature died: Ray Bradbury.
I like what Gregory Benford had to say on the Tor.com blog:
Nostalgia is eternal for Americans. We are often displaced from our origins and carry anxious memories of that lost past. We fear losing our bearings. By writing of futures that echo our nostalgias, Bradbury reminds us of both what we were and of what we could yet be.
Like most creative people, he was still a child at heart. His stories tell us: Hold on to your childhood. You don’t get another one. In so many stories, he gave us his childhood—and it worked for us, too.
And a few other of the commentaries I've seen around the web:
- Ray Bradbury and the dark side of the American Dream
- On the Passing of Ray Bradbury: “Meeting the Wizard”
- Remember Ray Bradbury with 25 inspiring quotes
- President Obama on Ray Bradbury
- Ray Bradbury and the Sea
- The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury (Neil Gaiman)
- Ray Bradbury, R.I.P. and More on Ray (Mark Evanier)
- Ray Bradbury wasn’t a digital dinosaur; e-backlist coming
And a couple of my own posts inspired by Bradbury or his works:
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