James Graham Ballard - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Biography

Ballard is born in 1930 with Shanghai. His/her father is chairman of the Chinese subsidiary company of a large company of textile of Manchester. He thus passes his childhood in a vast typical house of the expatriates until the Sino-Japanese conflict. With the invasion of the China by the Japan, and in 1942 in a camp of detention for civilians is imprisoned where it will remain until the end of the Second world war. It described this experiment in its semi-autobiographical book Empire of the Sun , which was adapted to the cinema by Steven Spielberg.

It leaves in 1946 for the England and is shocked by the British life which appears to him detached from realities. It continues its studies in Leys School of Cambridge without managing to be integrated among the students. It begins studies of medicine in King' S College then of English literature of the Université of London without success. He at that time discovers the Psychanalyse and the Surréalisme which will fascinate it all its life.

He then makes odd jobs as writer in an advertizing agency and canvasser in encyclopedias. He engages on a blow of head in the air force and leaves to make his drive with the Canada. He at that time writes his first news of science fiction, Passeport for eternity .

He starts to write seriously and is published for the first time in the magazine " New Worlds" in 1956. Married in 1955 and young father, it earns with difficulty his living while working in a library until obtaining the post of assistant editor association of an scientific magazine, Chemistry and Industry . Its family increases and it leaves food in the suburbs London to Shepperton.

He writes its first novel during his two weeks of annual leaves and obtains a contract with the editor Berkley Books.

It writes then several books, whose screen is always a natural disaster which devastates planet, like the wind of nowhere , Sécheresse and the world absorbed . It continues to also write many news.

It becomes little by little one of the novelists headlights of the new wave of British SF at the sides of Brian Aldiss, John Brunner and Christopher Priest, which approaches new topics particularly by looking after the style.

With died of his wife in 1964, Ballard becomes writer by profession, which enables him to be present at the house to deal with his/her children. It is interested then in the experimental techniques of writing of Williams Burroughs.

During the years 1970 it writes the fair with the atrocities , and especially its concrete Trilogy with Crash , the concrete island and I.G.H. . Crash is its first famous novel, on a character fascinated by the psychosexuality of the car accidents which trains in its phantasms the narrator, who as the author names Ballard. Crash was adapted to the cinema by David Cronenberg.

Ballard reconsiders its past in 1980 with autobiographical the Empire of the Sun , then adapted to the cinema by Steven Spielberg, then publishes a novel of traditional SF, Rapport on a not identified space station . Warlike Fièvre treats media handling.

The work of Ballard strange and is sophisticated and was very influential in spite of its weak business success. It explores the dark face of the townsmen of the large megalopoles, excelling in the painting of seemingly normal characters, senior officers, organized people, who prove obsessed by violence and the Sexual perversions. Super Cannes is held within a framework a priori idyllic on the Riviera; but the brilliances frameworks of multinationals appear there sadistic which organize racist descents.

One finds the influence of Ballard in the music of groups of post-punk like Joy Division, The Normal and John Foxx.

Adaptations to the cinema and on television

Billenium (TV), of Jean de Nesle (1974). Scenario of Jacques Goimard, according to a news.
Empire of the Sun , of Steven Spielberg (1987)
Crash landing , of David Cronenberg (1996)
The Enormous Room (TV), by Richard Curson Smith (2003) (according to the news published in science fiction Interzone in 1989 stores)

Works

Novels

( Kingdom like , 2006), translated by Michelle To cart. ISBN 978-2207258927

Collection of news

External bonds

nonofficial Site: bonds, audio and video interviews, etc
Open Directory Project: J.G. Ballard
Ballardian: The World off JG Ballard. Site dedicated to J G. Ballard
More than 200 reproductions of covers of novels and news of Ballard, articles, interviews etc
Ballard and the myths a text on J.G.B., the S. - F. and modern mythology

Random links:

Gemini Ganesan | Large scales | Gignac (Batch) | Anagogy | Championships of the world of biathlon 2006