Biography of Ray Bradbury Essay Example

Poet, screenwriter, playwright, short-story writer, and novelist; Ray Bradbury a man who could do it all. Over time, Ray Bradbury wrote many pieces from his high school years up to his death. He was a Contemporary writer, whose science fiction pieces mimicked society around him since the 1920s by indirectly showing readers what life was like.

Born in Waukegan, Illinois on August 22nd, 1920 came Ray Bradbury. He grew up in an average family with a father named Leonard who was a Utility worker and his mother named Esther who was a Swedish Immigrant. He grew up in what is known as the roaring twenties which wasn’t an easy time. America was going through major economic growth and more people moved from farms to factories in the cities including his family.  Throughout school, he wasn't a good student and didn’t have many friends but he did love roller skating and writer. Bradbury was enrolled in poetry classes, clubs, and short-story classes but never really found one piece that he could finish. One afternoon a carnival visited close to the town in which he had lived and his father decided to take him. As a young teen Ray was amused by what he had seen and decided to visit every day until they left. Mr. Electrico, the magician, was one of Rays favorites. He showed him the other performer and all the things at the carnival. “ A few days later I began to write, full-time. I have written every single day of my life since then.”(Ray Bradbury). In this letter, Ray was writing to Mr. Electrico saying how writing has impacted his life. This is a very important milestone in Bradbury's life because this event really pushes him into his writing career.Ray Bradbury had many accomplishments; he wrote more than 30 books, and over 600 short-stories, and plays. In high school, he sold newspapers to support his writing, and published short storing in the fan magazine. Just before WWII he sold his first novel “Pendulum”(1941).

Also known as Rays greatest piece is “Fahrenheit 451” in 1953. This book is about a world where books are illegal and the main characters jobs is to destroy all books. He realizes paper books start to burn at 451 degrees Fahrenheit and someone begins to question his job. Some other of Rays greatest pieces are “The Martian Chronicles”(1950), “Dandelion Wine”(1957), and “The Illustrated Man”(1951). Ray wrote many genres including science fiction, poetry, drama, mystery and many more. In the 1950s, Ray began changing his story into films and began his own HBO television series. “Novelist, short-story writer, essayist, playwright, screen writer and poet” (Weller, 323). Ray Bradbury wrote about all types of genres in all types of pieces. His goal writing so many pieces was to appeal to not just someone who liked poetry or or someone who liked novels but to everyone.