Just a few things of interest today.
First, if you, like me, are still feeling a bit down because of Ray Bradbury’s death, go spend some time with him in his Paris Review Interview and some reminiscing from the intern who had to fact check it. In the interview he talks of his beginnings, his career, his thoughts on science fiction and writing, who his influences are, his love of poetry, libraries, writing the screenplay for Moby Dick, his dislike of ereaders, and so much more.
Second, thanks to my marvy sister for sending me the link, watch a 40 minute “movie” of actor Christopher Plummer recreating Nabokov’s lecture on Kafka’s Metamorphosis (via)
Bradbury did not think much of Nabokov or Proust, Joyce, and Flaubert. They put him to sleep, he says. Bradbury much preferred George Bernard Shaw, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Steinbeck, Huxley, Shakespeare, Hopkins, Frost, and Thomas Wolfe. Bradbury was also an admirer of Edith Wharton, Eudora Welty and Katherine Anne Porter.
Bradbury also says he was completely “library educated” and calls himself a librarian:
I am a librarian. I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in the library. Before I fell in love with libraries, I was just a six-year-old boy. The library fueled all of my curiosities, from dinosaurs to ancient Egypt. When I graduated from high school in 1938, I began going to the library three nights a week. I did this every week for almost ten years and finally, in 1947, around the time I got married, I figured I was done. So I graduated from the library when I was twenty-seven. I discovered that the library is the real school.
So I am sure he would really appreciate Bookyard. Bookyard is a joint art installation and library book sale in Ghent, Belgium. It will be up through September 16th with all proceeds from the sale of books going to local libraries. While I would like to visit Ghent someday, this summer will not be the time. If, however, you will be in Ghent this summer, be sure to visit the Bookyard!
Bradbury has an essay in the current New Yorker: The Clockwork Condition where her writes about the origin of the novel and the kind of society it envisioned.
Richard, oh thanks for the tip! We get the New Yorker at work, I’ll have to look at it
I love the quote. By this definition I am definitely a librarian. And thanks for the links as well.
It is a great quote. Thanks for sharing Stefanie.
Vanessa, it was hard to pull out just one quote from the interview. Bradbury is a rather quotable guy
Glad you liked the quote Alex! The interview is full of wonderful things
It’s such a shame about Bradbury. :/ I have mixed feelings about the man himself because he was so anti-technology, but it can’t be denied that he’s an amazing writer. I like his definition of librarian though; like it’s a political party. ^.^ I never read that quote before & I’m glad I did now. ^.^
Jac, I too have mixed feelings about the man himself because of his anti-technology and sometimes surprisingly conservative views. But writers are only human no matter how I might want my favorites ones to be in perfect accord with my own views. And yeah, as you say, I can’t be denied that Bradbury was an amazing writer. Heh, librarian as political party, I like that!
Ray Bradbury and I like and dislike the same authors but I have to admit, I never have managed to finish Farenheit 451. Never.
Carrie, oh no! F 451 is one of my favorite books so now you have me really curious, what is it that has kept you from being able to finish it?
I want to read that essay Richard mentions, too. I just broke down and started a subscription to the New Yorker–like I have lots of extra reading time for it….But I can read this issue online if I can get to it and avoid all those other online distractions. Was it Bradbury who wrote one of his books at the library? Didn’t he ‘rent’ a typewriter there to use? Or am I thinking of someone else. I already like Bradbury but he scores extra points for his love of libraries.
Danielle, yes, Bradbury wrote F 451 on a typewriter in the basement of the UCLA library for $.10 per half hour. I think it only took him something like 10 days to write.
Stefanie, it is almost shameful to admit that I have only ever read Fahrenheit 451, by Bradbury. My Reading Partner is much more familiar with his work — and has often reminded me of my lack of familiarity with this great author.
Anytime there is the loss of a beloved author, we feel it in the profoundest part of ourselves. For me, the two great losses are Christopher Hitchens and Jose Saramago — two irreplaceable geniuses in my life.
The latter of which, I have next Monday the 18th X’ed off on my calendar as a day of wearing black, if not outwardly [after all, it is summertime!] — definitely internally.
*Gasp* Cip! What’s wrong with you? Just kidding!
It is both odd and wonderful how we feel connected to the authors of the books we love, isn’t it? Their books become part of our being and so by extension do the authors. In that respect it is easier to love an author who is dead because there will be no shock and grief at their passing. But at the same time, loving the books of a still-living writer imparts a surprise and anticipation of what they might say and do and where their minds and writing might go that a deceased author cannot provide.
Ray Bradbury I remember really from Fahrenheit 451. I have copies of Martian Chronicles and collected stories so must read them some time this summer. He is so right about what libraries are about and his quote is one to remember as the battle for their survival deepens in next few years.
Ian, you know, I’ve yet to read Martian Chronicles and I don’t know why I haven’t but there it is. I’m pretty sure I have a copy of it on my bookshelves. I agree, libraries are there to both fill and fuel our curiosities and desire to know more about the world we live in. I think that often gets lost these days when governments was to cut funding and when libraries try to “be relevant” by providing access to blockbuster movies and bestsellers.
I can’t quite get behind Mr Bradbury’s reading list as I love Proust and Nabokov and Flaubert, but I do have a collection of Katherine Anne Porter short stories to read that I’m hoping to dip into this summer. It’s always interesting, though, to know who the great writers like reading. I have no idea why this should be – just put it down to bookish curiosity. Love the quote about libraries.
Litlove, no, I can’t get completely behind his reading list either, but as you say it is always so interesting to know who the writers read. I suspect we readers like to know because we want them to read the same books we do but we also want to discover writers we haven’t read: Brabury likes Porter, I like Bradbury and haven’t read Porter therefore I will read Porter and probably like her – faulty reasoning but who says readers are logical? I know I also like to look for influences because it’s fun and satisfying to fit writers into a connected literary network