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Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Douglas Bradbury ,a literature summary
Click here to view the free booknote of Ray Douglas Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451
The Author Ray Douglas Bradbury ( 1920 - )
 The author was born in Waukegan, Illinois on 22nd August 1920. He is one of
America’s most distinguished writers whose long career spans from his early teens to the present day, where he lives in Los Angeles.
He is known for his short stories and poetry, and he has also written for T.V. and
Radio.
Many of his books have been transferred to the motion picture medium, and Bradbury has tried his
hand at screenplay writing, in particular ‘It Came from Outer Space’, and ‘Moby Dick’.
In his early years he was interested in magic, and would often attend travelling circuses whenever
they appeared in Illinois. One of his early influences was one of these travelling magicians, Mr. Electrico.
He was encouraged by his family to be expressive, and he helped organise the family’s Halloween
Parties.
His Aunt Neva was also a great influence on the young Bradbury, introducing him to heroes such as
Flash Gordon, Tarzan, and even the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
When he was 14, the Bradbury family moved to Los Angeles, and he started to write using a toy
typewriter he had received as a gift.
In 1937 he became a member of the Los Angeles Science Fiction League, and he helped produce
their own magazine ‘Futuria Fantasia’. His first work to be published was a short story entitled ‘Pendulum’, which appeared in Super Science Stories, published in 1941.
Much of Bradbury’s early work was based on his childhood experiences such as ‘The Jar’ published in
1944, and ‘Homecoming’ published in 1946.
The exuberant Halloween Parties enjoyed by the Bradbury family inspired the writing of ‘Uncle Einar’
published in 1947. This work was coupled with other short stories under the title of ‘Dark Carnival’.
His first really inspirational work was ‘The Martian Chronicles’ published in 1950.
This book, ‘Fahrenheit 451’ was published in 1954.
Bradbury has continued to be a prolific writer right through to the latter part of the 20th century.
Much of his writing has gone on to be the basis of work for motion pictures, television and radio, e.g.
‘The Martian Chronicles’, this book - ‘Fahrenheit 451’, ‘The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms’, ‘It Came from Outer Space’, and ‘The Illustrated Man’.
His other main works include ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ published in 1962, ‘The April Witch’
published in 1987, ‘Graveyard for Lunatics’ published in 1990, and ‘Journey to Far Metaphor’ published in 1994.
Ray Bradbury is more than just a writer; he is one of America’s foremost dreamers with a vivid
imagination. His services were requested by Disneyworld when providing the basic format for the interior of Spaceship Earth. He also helped design a 21st century city on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Another one of Bradbury’s novels ‘Dandelion Wine’ has obtained immortality as one of the moon’s
craters has been named ‘Dandelion Crater’ in honour of Bradbury.
‘Fahrenheit 451’ was made into a film in 1966 directed by Francois Truffaut.
Bradbury has an extensive family, having four daughters and numerous grandchildren. He enjoys
painting and collecting Mexican artefacts.
Click here to view the free booknote of Ray Douglas Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451
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