Ray Bradbury

Marissa Roth for the New York Times

Updated June 22, 2009

Ray Bradbury (born 1920) is a celebrated science fiction and fantasy writer.

His most famous novel is "Fahrenheit 451," published in 1953. Named for the temperature at which paper ignites, the novel depicts a near-future society in which firemen don't extinguish fires but instead burn books, and where the complacent populace, numbed by nonstop television and advertising, seems all too eager to embrace enforced ignorance.

Mr. Bradbury started his literary career as the self-publisher of the fanzine Futuria Fantasia when he was 18. The fanzine's four issues were anthologized and reissued in 2007 by Graham Press. The fanzine was bankrolled by Forrest J. Ackerman, one of science fiction's greatest fans and the man said to have coined the term sci-fi; only 100 original copies were printed. They contain early work by such future science fiction luminaries as Hannes Bok and Robert Heinlein.

Mr. Bradbury's critics have bristled at his comments that "Fahrenheit 451" was not a novel about censorship or that "The Martian Chronicles" -- one of the most widely read science fiction novels -- is not science fiction. But they agree on his contribution to the genre.

In 2007, he received a special citation from the Pulitzer board for his ''prolific and deeply influential career.''

Mr. Bradbury is a passionate supporter of libraries and frequently speaks at libraries across California.

"Libraries raised me," Mr. Bradbury said. "I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years."

When he is not raising money for libraries, Mr. Bradbury still writes for a few hours every, reads George Bernard Shaw, receives visitors and watches movies on his giant flat-screen television.

Reference Material on Ray Bradbury

NYT Guide to Essential Knowledge

Bradbury, Ray, b. Waukegan, Ill 1920. Science-fiction writer. A master of social commentary through science fiction, Bradbury is known both for short-story collections and for novels. Among his short story collections are The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953). His novels include Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962). Many of his stories and novels have been adapted for the screen.

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