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Post by allthingshorror on Apr 19, 2009 17:52:05 GMT
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._G._BallardWill love him for Crash, and many short stories. But most of all, will love him for when I phoned him early last year, asking to interview him about his short story work, he listened to what I had to say - and then said 'Fuck off, Johnny' and hung up. Definately something to tell the grandkids.... And weirdly, found out about this a whole hour before the BBC news website posted it....
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Post by marksamuels on Apr 19, 2009 18:44:55 GMT
Gutted, gutted, gutted about his death. He was one of my literary heroes. Crash, High-Rise and Concrete Island are amongst my favourite books. Never met him, but attended a booklaunch and Q&A session he gave a few years back. Love that "fuck off" anecdote, Johnny. Reminds me of the time I was jostled aside as a pleb by Pinter at the Barbican on the way in to see the play Krapp's Last Tape with John Hurt. Mark S.
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Apr 19, 2009 19:48:46 GMT
Deeply saddened by his death. Wonderful writer. Just amazing really. I loved the present he was given on a birthday interview - might have been his sixtieth - a unicycle,
Gutted is the word.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Apr 19, 2009 20:01:02 GMT
Oh no! Started reading JGB thanks to an article in the NME of all places. All of the stuff mentioned above is great, plus The Drowned World. The Drought and The Atrocity Exhibition - the first Ballard I ever read - not the easiest book to start with but it convinced me he was someone quite different. Also enjoyed Running Wild and Cocaine Nights.
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Post by David A. Riley on Apr 20, 2009 7:45:52 GMT
A great, great loss. One of those rare writers who transcended genre. I remember first reading his early SF novels, The Drowned World, The Drought and The Crystal World, which were amazing achievements and books which have lingered in my memory ever since. Their imagery and the worlds he created - which were off-skew changes to our own - are pretty well unique. I must admit to never having read Empire of the Sun, though I have seen the film several times. I have no excuse for never reading it, since we have copies in our shop! Perhaps this will be the push that will make me. His short stories too were amazing, with some unfortgettable themes. As for his response to Johnny, that just shows what a man of taste and discrimination he was. David
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Apr 20, 2009 12:13:47 GMT
I think Empire of the Sun was his first excursion out of speculative fiction or whatever you want to call it. In effect its success meant the death of his greatest writing as he moved further into the mainstream - that place we don't want to go to - he was still clearly brilliant but for me didn't quite trigger the marvel wrought by earlier work. In saying that, its well worth reading David, as it substantially differs from the film. His boyhood was simply incredible and there are moments of sheer amazement and terror described with the usual Ballardian genius.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Apr 20, 2009 12:45:13 GMT
I think Empire of the Sun was his first excursion out of speculative fiction or whatever you want to call it. In effect its success meant the death of his greatest writing as he moved further into the mainstream - that place we don't want to go to - he was still clearly brilliant but for me didn't quite trigger the marvel wrought by earlier work. . Top stuff Craig. I was trying to think of a similar comment. It's publication coincided with a personal appearance at Forbidden Planet (when it was in Denmark Street) for which I obtained a flyer with a picture of him. Seeing what he actually looked like, along with the press adulation surrounding Empire Of The Sun, seemed to prise him out of that cult niche. I remember buying Joy Division's Closer and being surprised that it contained a song called The Atrocity Exhibition which disappointingly didn't match the novel (I've subsequently read that Ian Curtis had partially written the song before reading Ballard's book and appropriating the title). I was also surprised and pleased to find that two songs I did own were inspired by Ballard - The Normal's Warm Leatherette (Crash) and Hawkwind's High Rise. Re-reading one of Laurence James' NEL Hells Angels potboilers I was delighted to find a tribute paragraph to JGB. The man popped up in the most unlikely places.
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Post by benedictjjones on Apr 20, 2009 17:14:25 GMT
massive loss... i loved cocaine nights and while not enamoured by things like kingdom come i still enjoyed them.
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