Ray Bradbury: A Literary Giant

The American writer Ray Bradbury, who passed away at the age of 91 earlier this week, is a favourite here at The Reader Organisation. Our director Jane is currently reading his most famous novel, Farenheit 451, with her Get Into Reading group in Chester, something that she forsees continuing for a while longer, as virtually every sentence sparks comment and discussion from the members.

Bradbury was also mentioned by Professor Jonathan Rose, author of The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes, when he spoke at our recent conference at the British Library. Discussing the nature of 'literary culture', he pointed out that Playboy was at the forefront of serialising exciting novels, bringing great literature such as Farenheit 451 to those who would not necessarily come across it elsewhere.

Below is an interview with Ray Bradbury from the National Endowment for the arts, where he discusses his life, literary loves, and his seminal work.