J.G. Ballard 1930-2009
Author J.G. Ballard died yesterday. Looking back on it, it's surprising how many of his books I've actually read: the short story collections Memories of the Space Age, Vermillion Sands, The Best Science Fiction of J.G. Ballard, the semi-autobiographical Empire of the Sun and The Kindness of Women, and the novels High-Rise, Hello America, and The Atrocity Exhibition (which was an 'experimental' novel that I didn't like at all).
I wouldn't say he was a master fiction writer, as a lot of times his writing wasn't as strong as his ideas and imagination. I think my favourite work of his is the short story "The Man Who Walked on the Moon" from Memories of the Space Age, which is very sad and bittersweet and has a definite Ray Bradbury vibe.
A couple of notable films were made from his works. Empire of the Sun by Steven Speilberg is great, and features some definite Ballardian moments. Crash by David Cronenberg was something I enjoyed when I saw it, but I'm not sure how I'd react to it now. I do think it captured the feel of Toronto though.
On another note, I think I will try to start-up writing reviews again, try for one a day until I get caught up.