Remembrance

September 25, 2023
In this judicious compendium, Bradbury biographer Eller (Bradbury Beyond Apollo) presents highlights from the sci-fi writer’s letters, dating from his late teens through his death in 2012. The correspondence charts the course of Bradbury’s career, tracing his development from mentee (a 1940 letter from Robert A. Heinlein, who helped Bradbury get his first stories published, promises Bradbury “another long, leisurely bull session” upon his return to California) to elder statesman of genre fiction (in 1979, Stephen King queried Bradbury about the inspiration for his 1962 novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes). A 1952 letter addressed to the Republican Party decrying its fearmongering portrayal of Democrats as communists after Eisenhower’s presidential victory that year offers insight into Bradbury’s politics, and a 1951 message to fellow sci-fi writer Richard Matheson reveals Bradbury’s apprehension about new media, suggesting that radio had “contributed to our ‘growing lack of attention.’ ” Other missives to friends, family, editors, and fans on such varied subjects as the delight Bradbury took in visiting Disneyland and his tense working relationship with John Huston while scripting the director’s adaptation of Moby Dick offer a panoramic portrait of Bradbury that’s as forthright as it is revealing. Bradbury’s fans will want to check this out.

October 1, 2023
An inside look at the beloved writer. "The selection of letters in this volume offers the first sustained look at his inner life from his late teens to his ninth decade," writes Eller, co-founder of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at Indiana University. Eller organizes the letters into categories and provides useful information about the recipients, and they are often accompanied by responses that give the collection a highly readable, narrative-like flow. Bradbury wrote to mentors, influencers, young and older writers, filmmakers, publishing people, assorted political folks, family, and friends. The letters reveal a hard-working writer who loved his craft. The first, from the industrious, curious 17-year-old, is to Edgar Rice Burroughs, inviting him to speak at a local Los Angeles book group. Those to Robert Heinlein show a young writer finding his way as more of his stories were getting published in the pulps. In the mid-1940s, Bradbury and Theodore Sturgeon began corresponding. Bradbury was a huge admirer: "You have the touch." In the early '50s, Bradbury excitedly writes about publishing his first book, selling stories to popular magazines, book deals with publishers, and a film deal. In a letter to Bernard Berenson he confesses that when "I write my stories, I am as overjoyed as anyone who reads them later." One from Graham Greene in 1985 pointed out a small error in a story. There's a strong selection with filmmakers, including John Huston and Truffaut. To August Derleth, Bradbury admits that he took his style "to the edge, the very rim, of the precipice" in Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradbury's letters with his longtime agent Don Congdon capture the nitty-gritty of the publishing industry as well as the TV series Ray Bradbury Theater. Fans of Bradbury and literature in general will relish this rich, well-curated collection.

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Starred review from October 15, 2023
One of the titans of sf, Bradbury wrote almost daily for more than 60 years and later in life regretted that he never kept anything like a diary. Here's the next best thing: editor Eller has gathered a marvelous compendium of Bradbury's extensive correspondence. The 12 categories here include mentors and influences in his early and breakout years, letters encouraging emerging writers and literary contemporaries, and friends, family, and reflections. Among those contemporaries are Theodore Sturgeon, Edmond Hamilton, and Richard Matheson, who all wrote back with great affection, sharing in the struggles of those penny-a-word times. Other influences beyond genre writing include art critic Bernard Berenson and poet Robert Hillyer. Since he was based in Los Angeles for most of his life, it was inevitable that Bradbury would befriend actors and work in the industry: see Charles Laughton, John Huston, Fran�ois Truffaut (who directed 1966's Fahrenheit 451), and Walt Disney. Correspondents that may surprise include Ana�s Nin and Stephen King. All aspects of Bradbury's career--including movies, plays, and working with NASA on the early space program--are covered. Extensive footnotes and a chronological listing of the letters are also included. Remembrance is a true labor of love and belongs in any library that has a Ray Bradbury collection.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.