by Sam Weller [not in library]
Towards the end of his life, iconic fantasist Ray Bradbury identified journalist Sam Weller as his "official" biographer -- he and Weller had conducted numerous interviews over a multi-year period, and the two had become very close friends, as Weller dug into Bradbury's memories and psyche to figure out what made him tick. In this volume in Meville House Publishing's Last Interview series -- which reproduce the final interviews conducting with literary figures before their passings, Weller reproduces the content of the final few interviews he conducted with his friend and mentor, including a few earlier transcripts from Bradbury appearances to fill out the relatively slim volume. Through the content of these interviews, you can see Bradbury's health waning, but you can also tell that his mind was still hard at work, watching and contemplating the world around himself. In addition to being one of the most influential and prolific grand masters of the science fiction and fantasy publishing field, Bradbury lived an eclectic and mesmerizing life, interacting with the worlds of popular entertainment (he was a film buff), politics and literature in equal parts. In his final interviews, he revisits many of the parts of his life that had emotional impact on him, and as a reader, this helped me to connect even more strongly with him as a creator. At this time, the libraries don't own this Bradbury volume in the Last Interview series, however they have added the volumes for James Baldwin and Kurt Vonnegut. I'm hoping they'll add some of the other existing volumes in the series, which include Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Lou Reed, Hannah Arendt, Jorge Luis Borges, David Foster Wallace, Robert Bolano and Jacques Derrida -- I highly recommend the entire set! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ see Scott's Reviewer Profile and more of his reviews ]
[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Listen to the Echoes and The Bradbury Chronicles, two earlier intervew/biography volumes from Sam Weller about Ray Bradbury.]
[ official The Last Interview web site ] | [ official Ray Bradbury web site ]
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