Biography: Ray Bradbury

On August 22, 1920, Ray Douglas Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois.  During the Great Depression his father lost his job in Illinois and the Bradbury family was forced to leave their home in Waukegan to finally settle in southern California in 1934.  Four years later, Bradbury graduated from Los Angeles High School.  In school, Bradbury enjoyed spending time alone reading and writing, developing the creative potential he knew he possessed.  Bradbury spent much of his young adult life in the library, but soon he began working and writing for several magazines, also selling newspapers to make ends meet.  Quickly he found his niche as a science fiction author, writing short stories, plays and novels that combined mystery, technology and horror.  At age 27, he married the love of his life, Marguerite McClure.
In 1953, Bradbury published perhaps his most famous work, Fahrenheit 451, a powerfully gripping tale of a futuristic society that outlaws the possession of books.  Montag, a fireman and hero of the story, undergoes a complete character transformation, finally joining a group of nomads who commit classic literature to memory.
Bradbury has been given dozens of literary awards and honors, demonstrating his writing ability as well as his unique presence as a societal revolutionary.  His works go far beyond the written page; his name is known among theater goers, television viewers and radio listeners.  Most impressively, Bradbury's writing is known to millions of school children, both in the United States and abroad, who strive to grasp the meanings of his dark metaphors.  Ray Bradbury will always be remembered, not only by his incredible writing, but also by the powerful themes of his science fiction.