Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and countless other sci-fi/fantasy classics, died Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at the age of 91.
His work and his influence, however, will NEVER die.
Fahrenheit 451 was the first audiobook I ever read. It was on magnetic cassette tapes – a fact that I remember being notable, even at that time, considering the theme of saving the written word from flames.
Now, in the digital age of ebooks, one might consider our world safe from book burning with the internet’s capacity for storage and multiple sources. Then, I realize that massive EMPs (electo-magnetic pulses) could be as disastrous to digital copies as flames are to hard copies.
Though I have no gift for memorizing complete texts, my memory of Fahrenheit 451 and its profound influence on my life can never be burned from my experience. From my strong support of a free press and maintaining libraries of invaluable stories and information, all the way down to my compulsion to maintain multiple backups in multiple formats, Bradbury shaped portions of my life like no other.
Rest in peace, Ray Bradbury. May your work burn forever with its fireproof influence.