Comments on: J.G. Ballard has died

By: TimT

TimT — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:24:48 +0000

Ballard, Moorcock and Aldiss all made breakthroughs… it wasn’t a question so much of Moorcock and Aldiss providing the backdrop and Ballard writing the important works. Greenland is pretty much spot on in his analysis of the three writers as different but equally important.

They’re all temperamentally quite different writers, though they shared enough in common to make them friends and allies. Moorcock was a provocative editor and stylist, Aldiss an accomplished writer who was able to do a lot of behind-the-scenes work as editor, critic, historian of SF, in addition to his published fiction.

By: Walt

Walt — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:01:19 +0000

Are you joke, tweedyprof?

By: tweedyprof

tweedyprof — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:20:31 +0000

http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_1_otbie-ballard.html

is an excellent and moving obituary by Theodore Dalrymple, real name Anthony Daniels.

But since it’s in a non-leftist publication, obviously you narrow-minded types missed it.

I, too, was surprised and pleased to learn that Vance was an early inspiration for Ballard.

By: socialrepublican

socialrepublican — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:08:22 +0000

A great lost

Had just been in hoilday in Africa the last week or two and finished in a few days ‘the Day of Creation’, a conradian descent of some power and not a little filth. Great fun.

I loved ‘Empire of the Sun’ as a wee lad and was even more impressed when I read the book and found the even more brutal last act of the story.

My favourate Ballard, though immensely trashy, is ‘Running Wild’.

By: Donald A. Coffin

Donald A. Coffin — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:30:54 +0000

A couple of commenters mentioned Philip Jose Farmer. As you all may or may not know, he recently died (February 25), at age 91.

By: Russell Arben Fox

Russell Arben Fox — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:13:25 +0000

Also due, more than you might think, to Ballard’s eye. Many of the things that seem like a canny director’s hand are lifted straight from a writer who is terrific at visual imagery.

I’ll take your word for it. Ballard was heavily involved in the screen adaptation of his book, and occasionally was on the set commenting on Spielberg’s directorial choices. He even appeared in one of the early party scenes.

By: Righteous Bubba

Righteous Bubba — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:13:06 +0000

Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ballard’s Empire of the Sun is very likely his single finest film, due in no small part Christian Bale’s remarkable performance.

Also due, more than you might think, to Ballard’s eye. Many of the things that seem like a canny director’s hand are lifted straight from a writer who is terrific at visual imagery. Empire of the Sun is a great book.

By: belle le triste

belle le triste — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:03:18 +0000

here can be found a podcast of my friend elisha sessions reading a very early ballard story on london's resonance radio

By: Russell Arben Fox

Russell Arben Fox — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:49:41 +0000

I've never read a word of Ballard, which unfortunately for me just puts him down on my long list of authors that someday I need to find the time to become familiar with. My one contribution is that, as I have recently been reminded, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Ballard's Empire of the Sun is very likely his single finest film, due in no small part Christian Bale's remarkable performance.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:49:26 +0000

A throw away Vance is still more entertaining and well crafted than many a mega-hit.

True indeed. Farmer, I would like to pick up again; I don’t think I got past book two of the Riverworld series, and I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen a copy of the World of Tiers books.

(Someone really needs to go into business reprinting The Good Old Science Fiction From When I Was a Kid. I literally have dreams about the 2dhand bookstores of my childhood years.)

I see from the above that Ballard’s short stories are highly praised. Besides The Atrocity Exhibition, where should I look?

By: David

David — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:15:39 +0000

@ Anderson: I was thinking primarily of P J Farmer, who is probably doomed to be under appreciated. The good news on Vance is that he may still continue to publish new works. Keep your fingers crossed. A throw away Vance is still more entertaining and well crafted than many a mega-hit.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:46:00 +0000

A great loss, in a year that has already seen a few others.

This made me check Wikipedia to be sure that Vance is still alive, which I do every couple of months.

By: Martin Wisse

Martin Wisse — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:58:25 +0000

According to Coling Greenland's early eighties critical appreciation of the British New Wave (review), it was Ballard, Aldiss and Moorcock who kickstarted it. Aldiss as the elder statesman, Moorcock the young upstart radical and Ballard as its most accomplished and most radical writer.

By: belle le triste

belle le triste — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:10:18 +0000

i think aldiss’s role is a bit undervalued these days—what the people who weren’t ballard (esp.moorcock and aldiss imo) did was shape a context, in the new magazines and paperback collections for short stories*—in which ballard’s breakthrough importance could function most effectively

*this is important also: the novels weren’t the meat of the matter, the short stories were—the novel isn’t really a form ballard mastered (or was even interested in, except as a kind of “found object” frame for the type of writing he was pioneering): very very short is his most powerful work-shape

By: ejh

ejh — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:52:23 +0000

his role at New Worlds was quite simply that he wrote most of it.

Something of an exaggeration.