Ray Bradbury

Personal life

Ray Douglas Bradbury was born in 1920 in Illinois, USA. From an early age Bradbury was strongly interested in literature, eagerly listening to short stories as a small child, and seeking out authors such as H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe in his youth. Inspired by Poe, young Bradbury even started writing his own horror stories.

After his family moved to Los Angeles, Ray joined the Los Angeles Science Fiction society, in order to discuss one of his favourite genres with like-minded fans. Bradbury also became fascinated with the cinema during his time in LA, often sneaking in to watch previews of new releases.

Bradbury’s literary career began with short stories produced for non-profit fanzines, but soon expanded from there, to the point where he was able to make a living as a writer from the early age of 24.

Though Bradbury graduated from high school, he never continued his formal education. He was sceptical of the idea of going to college, claiming that it would have been bad for his writing abilities. Instead, Bradbury by his own account spend countless hours in the library, both reading up on literary classics and producing his own work.

Bradbury suffered a stroke in 1999, which left him partially paralyzed and meant he sometimes had to use a wheelchair. However, he continued to write up until his death in 2012.   

Literary career

Ray Bradbury was a very productive writer. He wrote 27 novels and more than 600 short stories in his lifetime. His...