Bradbury, Ray Douglas

Bradbury, Ray Douglas (1920- ), American science-fiction writer, best known for his novels and collections of short stories, including The Illustrated Man (1951), Fahrenheit 451 (1953), set in a future world where the written word is forbidden, and Dandelion Wine (1957). Born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois, Bradbury was an imaginative child prone to nightmares and frightening fantasies, which he later drew on for his writing. He began writing at least four hours a day when he was 12 years old. He sold his first story in 1941 and became a full-time writer in 1943. The Martian Chronicles (1950), a collection of short stories about Earth people conquering and colonizing Mars, is his best-known work and established his reputation as a leading science-fiction author. The book reflects many of America's anxieties in the 1950s, namely the fear of nuclear war, the desire for a simpler life, and reactions against racism and censorship. Bradbury has also written poetry and scripts for plays and films.