J.G. Ballard, r.i.p. (1 Viewer)

[Digney in Burnaby]

J.G. Ballard passed away. Story here.

I remember a stretch where I read Crash, High Rise, and Concrete Island, his apocalyptic look at contemporary stuff (cars, buildings and highways). And there was Empire of the Sun which became a movie. Always liked the title of one of his short stories, "Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan".

 

[chronic]

Wow, sorry to hear this. I've been a fan of Ballard for around thirty years. The Unlimited Dream Company is in my list of all-time-favorite books. He was primarily a Science Fiction author but a lot of his books, especially The Atrocity Exhibition and Crash, passed over into avant garde/experimental territory.

The US first edition of The Atrocity Exhibition is considered to be one of the rarest American books in existence since, after it was printed, the publisher read it and ordered all copies destroyed (thanks in large part to the titles Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan and The Assassination of John F Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race. Only a few copies survived the shredder. Like a lot of Wm. Burroughs cut-up novels, that particular book is a really difficult read.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

That is sad to hear. I just bought a copy of Empire of the Sun, the movie. I need to read some of his stuff.
You know a writer is on the right track when Steven Spielberg makes mega budget movie out his story, which in turn launches the career of Christian Bale. He had a full spectrum childhood.

 

[Erik]

Ballard resembles Buk in that he had some terrible experiences in his childhood in China during WW2, which he kept on coming back to in his books. "Empire of the Sun" describes some of these childhood experiences. I like the reoccurring theme of empty buildings and drained swimming pools that keep on showing up in his books. High Rise, Crash and The Crystal World come to mind. Oh, and Concrete Island.

Did any great writers have a happy childhood?

Ballard had cancer and knew he was dying, and he walked thru the fire pretty well. I haven't read his autobiography yet, but definitely will. You can hear a great interview with him here: BALLARDview

 

[David]

Vladimir Nabokov says he had a happy childhood. You know, playing chess, collecting butterflies, hanging out on the estate...

 

[Ponder]

I assure you...playing chess in your childhood isn't always fun.
Nabokov's novel The Defense is about'the alekhine defense`.
It's an interesting and unusual opening, 1. e4 Nf6!
Try it out if you have the chance.
To keep this forum alive, His tournament record became more erratic from the mid-1930s onwards, and alcoholism is often blamed for his decline.

They found him dead, see picture below.
http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/pics/alekhine18.jpg

 

[Gerard K H Love]

That's morbid, but it is better than a picture of dead Elvis, if that picture exists.

 

[chronic]

A good obituary for Ballard by Will Self.

 

[Bruno Dante]

The man really could write almost to the extent that he's the sort of guy who puts you off trying to write a novel because he makes you feel like you could never write anything that clever. I went throught a period where I read nearly all his books. A slight note of caution to anyone reading more of his works after The Empire of the Sun is that it is quite different to any of his other novels - being a semi-autobiographical portrayal of his childhood in war-torn Shanghai. I think I liked his 70s novels like Crash, The Unlimited Dream Company, Concrete Island and High Rise the best. Even if I didn't really know what the fuck they were all about.

 

[Ponder]

I read an interesting obituary on Ballard in a Dutch newspaper the other day.
He consumed 3/4 bottle of whisky each day, for decades.
For a good reason: to write.

 

[zenguru]

The US first edition of The Atrocity Exhibition is considered to be one of the rarest American books in existence since, after it was printed, the publisher read it and ordered all copies destroyed (thanks in large part to the titles Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan and The Assassination of John F Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race. Only a few copies survived the shredder. Like a lot of Wm. Burroughs cut-up novels, that particular book is a really difficult read.

I recently saw a collection of his short stories in a used book store while I was on vacation in upstate New York last week. It was a paperback but it did have those two stories you mentioned. I was going to buy it based on the titles, but then I tried to read one of them. And I just couldn't focus through his language. I couldn't get hooked on him.

So I bought a couple of Bradbury books instead. 'I Sing the Body Electric' and 'Long After Midnight.'

 

[chronic]

I recently saw a collection of his short stories in a used book store while I was on vacation in upstate New York last week. It was a paperback but it did have those two stories you mentioned. I was going to buy it based on the titles, but then I tried to read one of them. And I just couldn't focus through his language. I couldn't get hooked on him.

Stuff from The Atrocity Exhibition is not a good starting point unless you really like abstract experimental fiction. Better to start with one of his novels like Concrete Island or High Rise. They're more representative of his overall work. For short stories I would go with Myths of the Near Future, The Venus Hunters or Vermillion Sands.

 

[zenguru]

Well, the next time I see him on the shelf, I'll remember your advice. Thanks!

 

[Ambreen]

RIP.

I have never read him yet, but I've seen some movies inspired by his books, among which Empire of the sun has my preference.

 

[Bruno Dante]

Stuff from The Atrocity Exhibition is not a good starting point unless you really like abstract experimental fiction. Better to start with one of his novels like Concrete Island or High Rise. They're more representative of his overall work. For short stories I would go with Myths of the Near Future, The Venus Hunters or Vermillion Sands.

I thought Myths of the Near Future was excellent. I know what zenguru means about struggling to get into his work though. I find it very cold and detached. You never seem to know what the protagonist or any of the other characters are thinking.

 

[Joseph K]

He was good writer with great ideas, but he had faults: tin ear for dialogue, no substantial female characters and his protagonists were pretty indistinguishable. I have to say I think his prose is fairly pedestrian. Despite that he wrote some fascinating stuff, very visual. A sad loss.

 

[locust]

:( :( :(

 

[Bruno Dante]

Recently read his autobiography 'Miracles of Life', completed not long before he succumbed to cancer. It's written in his typical stripped-down style but, being a memoir, is a lot more straightforward than many of his works and would make an excellent way of introducing yourself to his other stuff. It's also pretty brief. Highly recommended.

 

[justin grimbol]

i just got a copy of his early sci fi novel drowned world. anyone read that book yet?

 

[Bruno Dante]

Yeah. It's a good one. Prophetic concept as well (possibly).