Ray Bradbury Unbound (Volume 2)

Product Description
A successful, award-winning writer on the brink of placing
Fahrenheit 451 in the American canon, Ray Bradbury entered the autumn of 1953 as a literary figure transcending fantasy and science fiction. Jonathan R. Eller continues the story begun in his acclaimed
Becoming Ray Bradbury, following the beloved writer's evolution from a short story master to a multi-media creative force and outspoken visionary.
Drawn into screenwriting by the chance to adapt
Moby Dick for Hollywood, Bradbury soon established himself in film and television. Though the work swallowed up creative energy once devoted to literary pursuits, Bradbury's successes endowed him with the gravitas to emerge as a sought-after cultural commentator and media figure. His passionate advocacy validated the U.S. space program's mission and allowed him to assume the role of a dreamer of futures voicing opinions on technology, the moon landing, and humanity's ultimate destiny.
Eller draws on interviews with Bradbury and unprecedented access to personal papers and private collections to tell the story of how a great American author helped shape his times.
Review
"Engaging. . . . Eller's second volume of Bradbury's biography is ultimately a melancholy and cautionary tale."--
Washington Post
"A fine biography of a fascinating man."--
Times Literary Supplement
"Intimate, conscientious, and triumphant, a truly profound examination of Bradbury's accomplishments and legacy. Highly recommended for all sf lovers and those with an appreciation for non-fiction and literature."--
Library Journal
"A thorough documentation of Bradbury’s career. . . . This warm, informative biography depicts him as a thoughtful and disciplined writer who helped make science fiction a respected literary genre."--
Kirkus
"Eller captures the joy of creations that new forms allowed Bradbury, such as the intensely visual interpretation of
Moby Dick that he wrote for director John Huston. . . . Fans who know Bradbury only for his fiction are likely to enjoy this diverse look at his work and creative process."--
Publishers Weekly
"Eller shows how Bradbury's work in the cinema (and his greatest success there) endowed him with a public gravitas that empowered him as a noteworthy speaker on issues pertinent to the Space Age. How the author of the once fantastic seeming
Martian Chronicles could by the early 1970s speak realistically about a very likely journey to Mars in the not entirely distant future speaks, of course, for the acceleration of progress in recent times but also of this important writer's vision."--
American Literary Scholarship
"An intimate look at the working life of one of the most important twentieth-century writers. . . . The depth of insight supplied by Eller's archival research imbues this text with a fresh inquisitive style that informs and inspires. . . . A valuable addition to the library of any Bradbury fan." --
Science Fiction Studies
"Few contemporary authors have been written about as extensively as Ray Bradbury, but no one has surpassed Jonathan Eller. In his previous study,
Becoming Ray Bradbury, he captured the odd nature of Bradbury's imagination perfectly in the context of his life and age--keeping a myriad of influences and ambitions in perspective. With the publication of
Ray Bradbury Unbound, Eller not only confirms his position as the great comprehensive Bradbury scholar. He has also written what may be the best single account of a major science fiction author's rise to fame and achievement." --Dana Gioia, author of
Pity the Beautiful and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
About the Author
Jonathan R. Eller is a Chancellor's Professor of English at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, the senior textual editor of the Institute for American Thought, and director of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at IUPUI.
Ray Bradbury Unbound and its predecessor
Becoming Ray Bradbury were eac