Ray Bradbury
American author who wrote the story he considered the essence of his work.
Ray Douglas Bradbury (22 August 1920 – 5 June 2012) was an American author and screenwriter widely regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century American writers. His work spanned fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction. He is best known for the novel *Fahrenheit 451* (1953) and the short-story collections *The Martian Chronicles* (1950), *The Illustrated Man* (1951), and *The October Country* (1955). Other notable works include the coming-of-age novel *Dandelion Wine* (1957), the dark fantasy *Something Wicked This Way Comes* (1962), and the fictionalized memoir *Green Shadows, White Whale* (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including *Moby Dick* and *It Came from Outer Space*, and many of his works were adapted into film, television, and comic books. Bradbury also published poetry, collected in works such as *They Have Not Seen the Stars* (2001). *The New York Times* described him as an author whose imaginative vision, poetic style, and deep understanding of human character earned him an international reputation, and credited him as the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, to a Swedish immigrant mother and a father who worked as a lineman, Bradbury spent his early childhood surrounded by extended family, a period that later inspired the fictional Green Town, Illinois, in his stories. The family moved to Tucson, Arizona, twice before settling in Los Angeles in 1934. In high school, he was active in drama and sold his first piece of writing—a joke—to George Burns at age 14. Fascinated by carnivals from youth, he drew on that world in works like *The Illustrated Man* and *Something Wicked This Way Comes*. An avid reader, he was influenced by H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe, and later Robert A. Heinlein, whose humanistic science fiction encouraged him to write in a similarly human-centered vein.
- field
- Author, screenwriter
- nationality
- American
Lore & Background
Ray Bradbury wrote "There Will Come Soft Rains" as a science fiction short story chronicling a lone house in a California city obliterated by a nuclear bomb. The title comes from a 1918 poem of the same name by Sara Teasdale, published during World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic. The story first appeared in 1950 in two versions: a one-page short story in Collier's magazine and as a chapter of the fix-up novel The Martian Chronicles. The Collier's version was set as April 28, 1985; the chapter was titled "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains." The 1997 edition of The Martian Chronicles advanced all dates by 31 years, changing the title to "August 2057: There Will Come Soft Rains." Bradbury considered this short story the only one in The Martian Chronicles to be a work of science fiction. The Pulitzer Prize Board recognized Bradbury's foresight in recognizing the potential for complete self-destruction by nuclear war, awarding him a Special Citation in 2007. The author's introduction to a 1984 anthology reveals he wrote the story after seeing a picture of a Hiroshima wall with preserved shadows of people killed by the bomb.
Reader's Guide
In "There Will Come Soft Rains," a nuclear catastrophe has left Allendale, California, entirely desolate, but one miraculously preserved house continues its daily routine: automatic systems prepare breakfast, clean, make beds, wash dishes, and address former residents without knowing they are burnt silhouettes on a wall. The house chimes, "Today is August 4, 2026." A sickly, emaciated dog enters, cannot reach the kitchen where pancakes are being made, runs around in a frenzy, and dies. After an hour, the automated systems remove and incinerate the body. That evening, the house recites Sara Teasdale's poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" to the absent hostess. A windstorm blows a tree branch through a kitchen window, starting a fire. The house's systems desperately try to put out the fire, but it burns to the ground overnight. At dawn, only a single wall remains, with an automated system endlessly reading, "Today is August 5, 2026." The story was adapted multiple times: as a radio episode of Dimension X on June 17, 1950; in comic book Weird Fantasy issue 17 in 1953 with art by Wally Wood; as a radio play for X Minus One on December 5, 1956; as a 1962 LP recording by Burgess Meredith; as a 1962 BBC Third Programme dramatization; as a 1975 Caedmon Records narration by Leonard Nimoy; as a 1977 BBC Radio 4 broadcast using the Radiophonic Workshop; as a 1984 Soviet animated film by Uzbekfilm; as a 1992 comic in Ray Bradbury Chronicles by Lebbeus Woods; and referenced in the 2008 game Fallout 3, where a robot recites the poem.
Did You Know?
- Bradbury regarded 'There Will Come Soft Rains' as 'the one story that represents the essence of Ray Bradbury.'
- The story's title comes from a 1918 poem by Sara Teasdale, published during World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic.
- The story was first published in 1950 in two versions only two days apart: in Collier's magazine and as a chapter of The Martian Chronicles.
- Bradbury wrote the story after seeing a picture of a Hiroshima wall with the preserved shadows of people killed by the bomb.
- The 1997 edition of The Martian Chronicles advanced all dates by 31 years, changing the story's title to 'August 2057: There Will Come Soft Rains.'
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ray Bradbury?
Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) was an American author and screenwriter born in Waukegan, Illinois. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant American writers of the twentieth century.
What is Ray Bradbury most famous for?
His most recognized works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and The October Country. These titles span science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction and remain central to his legacy.
What genres did Ray Bradbury write in?
Bradbury worked across a wide range of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction. This versatility set him apart from many of his contemporaries who focused on a single category.
Why is Ray Bradbury considered important to literature?
He is widely credited with helping bring modern science fiction into the literary mainstream. His work demonstrated that speculative fiction could carry the same artistic weight as traditional literary fiction.
Where was Ray Bradbury born and when did he die?
He was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois, and died on June 5, 2012. He lived to be 91 years old.
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