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To celebrate the upcoming 60th anniversary of Ray Bradbury’s iconic classic Fahrenheit 451, the public was invited to design a new cover, which will be featured on the first printing of the 60th anniversary edition. Matthew Owen won the Fahrenheit 451 cover design contest from Simon & Schuster and the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. I love this idea and wish there were more contests for classic cover redesigns. Maybe then we wouldn’t have covers that leave people a little disgruntled and confused?
The winning cover was revealed at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Owen’s cover beat out more than 360 submissions that were chronicled on this blog. It’s actually fun to scroll through the other entries and see the various interpretations of this classic piece of literature. Simon & Schuster and the Bradbury estate judged the entries.
What do you think? Do you like the new cover?
Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction master and author of Fahrenheit 451, died Tuesday night at the age of 91.
The world has lost a prophetic voice. RIP
Over the course of my twenty-nine years, it’s safe to say I’ve read Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 at least half a dozen times. The last time I read it was about four years ago, but in homage to Banned Books Week 2011, I decided to give it another look. I’ve now decided that I will read it every year during Banned Books Week as a reminder—a reminder of one of my greatest fears.
The book is only 165 pages long, and yet, it took me much longer than I’d planned. Not because Bradbury’s prose is less than stunning. I believe certain writers are given a divine gift. They are able to formulate sentences in a way that feels almost holy. Bradbury is one of these writers. No, I had trouble reading Fahrenheit 451 now, at the age of twenty-nine, because frankly, it upset me.
It upset me to the point of feeling nauseous one moment and wanting to smash a window with my fist the next. It upset me because even though Bradbury wrote his masterpiece in 1953, it is truer now than it ever has been before. The world changes; with every passing year, I change. Maybe as a youngster at Perrysburg High School, I thought Fahrenheit 451 was science fiction, so I made it through unscathed. I don’t think it’s science fiction anymore.
For those of you who haven’t read it, Fahrenheit 451 is about Guy Montag. He’s a fireman, but firemen of the future are not as they are now. In the future, firemen don’t put out fires; they start fires, in the homes of guilty book owners. In the future, books are outlawed. People who own books are considered crazy, and once discovered, their house is burned to the ground and they’re never seen again. One day, Guy Montag realizes this system isn’t quite perfect, and it starts when his wife tries to commit suicide.
Suicide is at an all-time high in the future. People will do just about anything to die, but people don’t pay attention to tragedy. They don’t pay attention to anything at all, except the TV. There’s no such thing as a leisurely stroll or enjoying an evening rain storm on the front porch—no such thing as sitting around with a beer, talking about stuff. Everything is shallow, meaningless. The president is elected because he’s good looking. War is rampant, but no one cares, because they’re too busy watching their favorite sitcoms. The world is a cultural black hole, and Guy soon realizes he must do something about it: but what?
Bradbury added a coda to the back of Fahrenheit 451. I’d like to give you a taste:
“Some five years back, the editors of yet another anthology for school readers put together a volume with some 400 (count ‘em) short stories in it. How do you cram 400 short stories by Twain, Irving, Poe, Maupassant and Bierce into one book?
Simplicity itself. Skin, debone, demarrow, scarify, melt, render down and destroy. Every adjective that counted, every verb that moved, every metaphor that weighed more than a mosquito—out! Every simile that would have made a sub-moron’s mouth twitch—gone! Any aside that explained the two-bit philosophy of a first-rate writer—lost!
Every story, slenderized, starved, bluepencilled, leeched and bled white, resembled every other story. Twain read like Poe read like Shakespeare read like Dostoevsky read like—in the finale—Edgar Guest. Every word of more than three syllables had been razored. Every ima
By:
Chris Singer,
on 1/30/2011
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Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Ray Bradbury (Illustrated by Tim Hamilton)
Reviewed by: Chris Singer
About the author:
Ray Bradbury is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people think. His more than five hundred published works — short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and verse — exemplify the American imagination at its most creative.
Once read, his words are never forgotten. His best-known and most beloved books, THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, FAHRENHEIT 451 and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, are masterworks that readers carry with them over a lifetime. His timeless, constant appeal to audiences young and old has proven him to be one of the truly classic authors of the 20th Century — and the 21st.
In recognition of his stature in the world of literature and the impact he has had on so many for so many years, Bradbury was awarded the National Book Foundation’s 2000 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, an the National Medal of Arts in 2004.
About the illustrator:
Tim Hamilton has produced art for The New York Times Book Review, Cicada magazine, King Features, BOOM Studios, Mad Magazine, and ACT-I-VATE. He most recently adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island into a graphic novel for Puffin Graphics.
About the book:
“Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn ’em to ashes, then burn the ashes.” For Guy Montag, a career fireman for whom kerosene is perfume, this is not just an official slogan. It is a mantra, a duty, a way of life in a tightly monitored world where thinking is dangerous and books are forbidden.
In 1953, Ray Bradbury envisioned one of the world’s most unforgettable dystopian futures, and in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the artist Tim Hamilton translates this frightening modern masterpiece into a gorgeously imagined graphic novel. As could only occur with Bradbury’s full cooperation in this authorized adaptation, Hamilton has created a striking work of art that uniquely captures Montag’s awakening to the evil of government-controlled thought and the inestimable value of philosophy, theology, and literature.
Including an original foreword by Ray Bradbury and fully depicting the brilliance and force of his canonic and beloved masterwork, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is an exceptional, haunting work of graphic literature.
My take on the book:
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite books and when I saw there was a graphic novel version I wanted to review it here on Book Dads.
I don’t think it matters if this is your first introduction to 451 or if you’re already a fan of the novel. Either way, you’re going to really enjoy this adaptation. For those familiar with the story, the adaptation stays
Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, officially turns 90 on August 22, 2010. This Friday, fans of Bradbury will ask Los Angeles City Council to declare Aug. 22-28 Ray Bradbury Week. While Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, he moved to Los Angeles in 1934, where he has lived since that time.
A number of celebrations are being planned, including a tribute at the Mystery and Imagination Bookstore, a profile in the Writers Guild magazine, an exhibit of Bradbury books in the public library, a school production of a play based on the novel, an evening of screening TV shows based on Bradbury's writings, and a screening of the Fahrenheit 451 movie which will include an interview with Hugh Hefner and Ray Bradbury.
Bradbury's works include Something Wicked this Way Comes, The Martian Chronicles, Dandelion Wine, and Fahrenheit 451. He has also been a writer on an astounding 75 films, many of them adaptations of his novels and short stories. His body of work has earned him the National Medal of the Arts and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Ray Bradbury Week in Los Angeles is on Facebook for anyone interested in learning more. (You must have a Facebook account to log in.)
The Times Online has printed an article written by author Neil Gaiman entitled, "Neil Gaiman: Ray Bradbury Made Me Want to Write."
In it, Gaiman reminisces about the Bradbury, the builder of dreams, as he reviews the many Bradbury volumes he has read and how they have influenced him and shaped the world. Gaiman refers to Bradbury as "The man who gave us a future to fear, one without stories, without books," an obvious reference to Fahrenheit 451.
Bradbury at his best really was as good as we thought he was. He built so much, and made it his. So when the wind blows the fallen autumn leaves across the road in a riot of flame and gold, or when I see a green field in summer carpeted by yellow dandelions, or when, in winter, I close myself off from the cold and write in a room with a TV screen as big as a wall, I think of Ray Bradbury . . .
Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most ironic banned or challenged books. A book that portrays a world without books, in which ideas are silenced has not only been challenged but when it was first printed for schools,
swear words were expunged without the author's knowledge.
The
Banned Book Challenge continues until the end of June. Why not choose
Fahrenheit 451 as one of your choices?
A Publishers Weekly article by Calvin Reid entitled "New Look for Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451'" reports that Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 will soon be adapted to be published as a graphic novel. Artist Tim Hamilton has recreated this science fiction classic with input from Ray Bradbury. It will be released both in hardcover and paperback and will be marketed during the American Library Association's Banned Books Week in September of 2009. Playboy magazine which first ran the original serial in 1954 has purchased the serial rights. The publisher also plans to adapt graphic novels of Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes. An e-book version of the graphic edition will be available for the iPhone.
The Banned Book Challenge continues until June 30. Set a goal and read with us.
By:
Elaine Anderson,
on 1/2/2008
Blog:
Fahrenheit 451: Banned Books
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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury depicts firemen burning books. It is what they do. In a story that is disconcerting for those of us who believe in the right of freedom to read, MSNBC reports that firefighters are being trained by Homeland Security in the USA in a test program. They are being trained to look for illegal materials and report people who may be "hostile, uncooperative or expressing hate or discontent with the United States."
While law enforcement officials have stringent rules that control their access to private property, fire fighters have access in order to make inspections for the purposes of preventing fires. The ACLU is concerned about the implications of this program with regard to first amendment issues.
According to New York City Fire Chief Salvatore Cassano, information related to terrorism has been passed on from firefighters to law enforcement since the program began three years ago.
It would be interesting to see what kind of information officials are collecting that they believe relates to terrorism and to what degree one needs to be "discontent" before one is reported to the government.
This would be great fodder for a dystopian novel. Oh, wait....
MTV Movies Blog reports that Tom Hanks is showing great interest in starring as Guy Montag, the “fireman” in Fahrenheit 451.
I just got back from California where my dad had his 4th Change of Command ceremony and then retired from the Navy after 30 years of active duty service. Pretty incredible. Counting college, U.S. Naval Academy, he's been in the miltary longer than I've been alive. I'm impressed. The ceremony was beautiful, the weather was unusually cooperative and even though I felt like I spent more time in airports than I did in the actual city of Port Hueneme, I was glad to be there and very proud of the Captain.
Here's where it all becomes school library/book related. I flew Frontier airlines. I don't think I've ever flown with them before but would like to make a special request that I fly with them for the rest of my life. Friendly, courteous, informative, organized and TVs in the back of every seat. What more could you ask for? Well, how 'bout volume control? Or at least an awareness of when your volume is turned up so loud I can hear you over your earphones, my earphones, the child sitting next to me also watching a movie's earphones, two seats down! It gets worse. She wasn't even watching whatever program she chose to lose her hearing on. She was flipping through a magazine, the TV mere background noise FOR THE WHOLE PLANE. I happened to be reading Fahrenheit 451 for my book club. So, here I am reading about Seashell radios and wall panel "families" thinking for you, replacing your imagination and appreciation for Life, and I hear nothing but unwatched FOX news crap.
Bizarre. It made me laugh and shudder at the same time; I luddered. But it also made me think. Of course. What a cool curriculum could be developed asking questions like "Why read?" "Why think?" "Why imagine?" "Why question?" It'd also be interesting to look at who has asked those questions over time and for what purposes or what were people's reactions to those who asked those questions. Of course I'm suggesting using Fahrenheit 451, but then reading feed, by M.T. Anderson. Especially because there's a line that jumped out at me this afternoon and reminded me of feed: (when Faber learns his two-way ear radio is burnt and he doesn't have another one) "So I haven't another green bullet, the right kind, to put in your head." Surely Anderson read this book. (There's another cool Anderson allusion to his feed lesions in Octavian.)
Anyway, glad to be back. Miss the ocean breezes. Don't miss cluelessly loud airplane people.
By the way, and I meant to say this a few posts ago when I started linking book titles to Google Books. I like this because it shows the cover, a quick synopsis, some reviews, consumer links and then has a special and utterly fabulous Find this book in a library link. Sadly, the nearest library to me it lists is over an hour away. Believe you me I will be contacting my local libraries to gently suggest they give this a look-see.
My contribution to the MetalMan Project.
Thanx to fellow SFGers Josh Hoye and Matt Schuster for the heads up.
My contribution to DopePope's MetalMan Project Volume Two. This is a very cool project centering on re-visiting art created during childhood, something I can certainly identify with.
Here is my submission for the 2nd Metal Man Project. Sadly I didn't know about the first one but I'm pretty happy to be asked to contribute for the 2nd project.
Check out the Man Project website for more cool illustrations.
Onno
www.chocolate-log.com
I don’t just “like” things I like.
Items that cause me to pause and think also prompt me to take the time to write a few words. Maybe to agree or to encourage. Or disagree.
But you deserve more than a click on my computer.
This is my comment. Thanks.
You’ve done some pretty nice crafting yourself and you are right on. I’m afraid it is up to your generation to take up your challenge. We remember what the world was like without cell phones, computers, FB and all the short leashes we are now on. It’s a mixed blessing of good and bad. With people like you and Jake who care, I have great hope. It is up to you all to make a difference and save the books.
Don’t you worry, Sue Ellen. We’ll fight the good fight. I’ll get out boxing gloves if need be
Thanks, Chuck! I’m glad I made you think today. And thank you for leaving me a note to let me know
Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite books.I read it when I was 12 and when I was 30. I had the same reaction while reading it–angry. Angry that books were burned.In my opinion, it’s a sacrilegious act to destroy a book. I don’t even like to highlight or mark them up. What’s scary is the ultra conservatives that are deeming certain books to be bad, improper, unacceptable and God knows what else…all in the name of protecting children’s minds. Books are and have been a very important part of my life since childhood. Out of a long list of banned books, I had read 37 of them and turned out just fine.
Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite books.I read it when I was 12 and again, when I was 30. I had the same reaction while reading it–angry. Angry that books were burned. In my opinion, it’s a sacrilegious act to destroy a book. I don’t even like to highlight or mark them up. What’s scary is the ultra conservatives that are deeming certain books to be bad, improper, unacceptable and God knows what else…all in the name of protecting children’s minds. Books are and have been a very important part of my life since childhood. Out of a long list of banned books, I had read 37 of them and turned out just fine.