Author J.G. Ballard Dies at 78

[villager]

Source: BBC


Cult author JG Ballard dies at 78

Ballard was best known for the novel Empire of the Sun

The author JG Ballard, famed for novels such as Crash and Empire of the Sun, has died aged 78 after a long illness.

His agent Margaret Hanbury said the author had been ill "for several years" and had died on Sunday morning.

Despite being referred to as a science fiction writer, Jim Ballard said his books were instead "picturing the psychology of the future".

His most acclaimed novel was Empire of the Sun, based on his childhood in a Japanese prison camp in China.

The author of 15 novels and scores of short stories, Ballard grew up amongst the expatriate community in Shanghai.

During World War II, at the age of 12, he was interned for three years in a camp run by the Japanese.

He later moved to Britain and in the early 1960s became a full-time writer.

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Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8007331.stm

[asthmaticeog]

1. Sad. The man wrote some amazing stuff. He will be missed.

[ananda]

2. Empire of the Sun was a fine movie.

The young Christian Bale was amazing.

[Ex Lurker]

5. with one glaring error

military POW's wouldn't have been mixed in with civilian internees.

[Paladin]

8. That One Scene With The Boy And The Japanese Pilots.....

...absolves the movie of all shortcomings.....

[laststeamtrain]

3. "Love and Napalm: Export U.S.A" aka The Atrocity Exhibition.

Crash, High Rise, Concrete Island, etc.

He wrote about (and out of) the dystopia we seem to live in.

A sometimes brilliant writer, always worth reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atrocity_Exhibition

[Frank Cannon]

9. Concrete Island, Terminal Beach, The Dead Astronaut...

So many strange, scary, yet beautiful stories from a man with an amazing imagination.

Rest in peace, Mr. Ballard.

[flamingdem]

4. He wrote "Crash"

and Cronenberg made it into a movie I recall.

Crash is tough reading but Ballard is extraordinary.

[old mark]

6. He was a great writer. Didn't much care for the movies, though, but

his work was very fine.

mark

[flamingdem]

7. Crash the movie was the pits, but the book is something else! nt

[LostinVA]

10. Awee -- a big loss, and I wouldn't consider him a "cult" writer