J.G. Ballard

[D_Davis]

I recently finished Running Wild - brilliant - and I am just about finished with War Fever.

I've also read a few short story collections (including The Best SF Short Stories of... which is probably my 2nd favorite collection of short stories I've ever read, right after Alfred Bester's Virtual Unrealities), The Atrocity Exhibition, Empire of the Sun, and Concrete Jungle.

Beyond his imaginative ideas, what I like best about Ballard is how he uses the form of the narrative to strengthen the theme. He thinks of both form and function, and how the two possess a symbiotic relationship.

For instance, one "story" in War Fever is actually just a list of 40 or so answers to a questionnaire. However, we are never told who is taking the test, or what the questions were. Just based on the answers, it is up to us, the reader, to parse out the plot and the character.

Another story is basically just a title, but each word in the title has a footnote to be read.

It is all very fascinating, and many of his stories are written in such a way.

I own, or have recently ordered/purchased, about 15 of Ballard's books, and I am greatly looking forward to reading each and every one.

And with his ailing health (I've heard that his prostate cancer has spread throughout much of his body), it looks like another brilliant SF author will be leaving us all too soon.

If any of you haven't yet read Ballard, I would first ask why, and secondly I would encourage you to do so. He is an author who 1) makes you think, a lot, 2) really understands western culture, 3) will challenge you at each and every turn, and 4) could possibly change the way you think about literature, and, perhaps, life itself.

 

[GOLLUM]

Let me echo Mr Davis's comments. Ballard is a great writer and if you like authors like Gene Wolfe, M John Harrison, Italo Clavino etc... you'll like him.

 

[j d worthington]

Ditto. Ballard is one of the most original, thoughtful, challenging, and provocative writers of the latter half of the twentieth century (and opening years of the twenty-first, of course). He has also written several pieces that far transcend genre lines, as well as no few that are considered classics of either sf or fantasy. I can't think of a piece by Ballard that is not worth reading (though, of course, some are better than others), and nearly all are worth pondering and rereading, as well.

A truly unique voice, with many who attempt imitation (some more talented than others, as well), and one who has raised the bar on speculative fiction time and again....

 

[AE35Unit]

THE DROWNED WORLD is just the best dark fantasy I've ever read,CRYSTAL WORLD too. Beautiful dystopias!

 

[Connavar]

What kind of SF is he famous for ? Dystopia's ?

His recent books i have seen in the stores dont sound like SF books.

Isnt he also the guy that wrote the book that become that movie with a young Christian Bale ?

 

[Fried Egg]

I think he's famous for post-apocalyptic SF novels. Drowned World, Crystal World and The Drought could all be described as such anyway. Probably more, I've not read that much of him yet.

I certainly agree with D Davis in that he is a writer who makes you think.

 

[D_Davis]

What kind of SF is he famous for ? Dystopia's ?

His recent books i have seen in the stores dont sound like SF books.

Isnt he also the guy that wrote the book that become that movie with a young Christian Bale ?

That was Empire of the Sun - part autobiography. It's about Ballard's early life in Shanghai. It is followed by The Kindness of Women, about his mother's death.

In regards to his SF, it is more Speculative than Science, and yes, it is often described as dystopian.

He is an author who really understands western culture: society, pop-culture, consumerism, technology, family, desires, dreams, and how all of these things impact our psyches. He often deals with isolation in the midst of society, and many of his stories possess an atmosphere of intense loss and longing.

While he has moved away from what we might call SF (at least in the way it is defined by genrehounds), he still deals with themes that present themselves in a SF manner.

Pick this up:

The Best Short Stories of...
Amazon.com: The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: J. G. Ballard, Anthony Burgess: Books

It is amazing, and will give you a great insight into the kind of author he is. I cannot imagine anyone who is really into SF and good literature not loving most of these stories.

 

[Connavar]

I think he's famous for post-apocalyptic SF novels. Drowned World, Crystal World and The Drought could all be described as such anyway. Probably more, I've not read that much of him yet.

I certainly agree with D Davis in that he is a writer who makes you think.

Frankly i dont read a SF author for long if they dont make me think.

I rarely read SF for action or adventure.

 

[j d worthington]

Oh, Ballard will definitely make you think... with a vengeance!

And Ballard's work, as he so often said himself, was more about "inner space" than outer space. He's not interested in hardware, but in the human (or, as he so often wryly called it, the "post-human") element, but in rather unique ways.

Try any of the following for the flavor of his work (which is really quite varied, to be honest...):

The Voices of Time (sc)
The Drowned World (novel)
The Crystal World (novel)
Vermillion Sands (sc)
The Atrocity Exhibition (sc/novel)

Crash (novel)
Concrete Island (novel)
High Rise (novel) (these form a trilogy of sorts)

Low-Flying Aircraft and Other Stories (sc)
Myths of the Near Future (sc)
Memories of the Space Age (sc)
War Fever (sc)
A User's Guide to the Millennium (essays)

You might want to check this out, to help you decide:

J. G. Ballard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[D_Davis]

JD, what do you think of Kingdom Come and Hello America?

I want to read one of these next, but I am not sure which one.

 

[Connavar]

Just like when Gully told me about what kind SF author Kurt Vonnegut was/is is what i think when i hear you guys talk about Ballard.

Im kind of SF reader that wouldnt mind of all SF was the so called "inner Space".

If this thread was made two days ago i would have ordered a book, shame im book broke for alteast until the end of this month.

Somewhere this forum maybe in a post by D_Davis i read Ballard and dystopian ? Is there a good SF book of his that are dystopian ?

Or is that all his post apocalyptic stories can be called dystopian ?

 

[D_Davis]

I can't comment conclusively about dystopian Sf/lit, but many of Ballards books are considered to be within the realms of this sub-genre without necessarily being apocalyptic.

Even the short book I recently finished - Running Wild - could probably be described as dystopian. It deals with the psychological effects of complete sanity, gated communities, surveillance, and sterile environments.

He often takes ubiquitous things such as advertising, or our consumer driven tendencies, and then extrapolates upon these ideas and how they impact our near future selves.

He also deals a lot with the atrocities and absurdities of war culture, and out disgusting infatuation with violence and weapons. The book War Fever contains an awesome little story called The Secret History of World War 3. It is quite brilliant. The title story from this collection also deals with the idea of a war-society in an interesting manner.

Many of the stories in The Best Short Stories of... also deal with the problems that future humans will have to face because of the choices we are making now, thus creating a dystopian society out of seemingly benign decisions. Ballard often comments so deftly on the here and now that his stories become prophetic without really trying to be.

I haven't read enough Vonnegut to draw a comparison, but I believe he and Ballard could be shelved together without a problem.

 

[Connavar]

A speedy reaserch on library catalog and bookmooch showed these books/collections are my choice for trying out Ballard :

Library :

Short story collections

War Fever
The disaster area

Books

Super-Cannes



Bookmooch :

Hello America
Rushing to Paradise
The Day of Creation


Any recommendation on which short story collection and novel i should get ?

They dont sound like his most famous works which is fine by me i would rather buy them later if i come to like JG Ballard anyway.

It was a nice suprise the library had 39 books of his. Which is alot for a SF writer and they were most his SF+ Empire of The Sun. Shame they were often the same books with different languages...

 

[j d worthington]

I don't know as I'd call any of Ballard's work "post-apocalyptic" in the strict sense. Even his "ecological disaster" quartet (The Wind from Nowhere, The Drowned World, The Drought, and The Crystal World) aren't truly -- save perhaps for the last -- post-apocalyptic in the usual sense. He takes a single shift in the environment and shows its effect on the human psyche, and it is often those who make the most unconventional adjustment to that change that are the protagonists of his novels. Even with something like The Atrocity Exhibition, the "apocalypse" (if there is one) can be said to be entirely internal... though whether said apocalypse happened to T- or to everyone else, or to both though in vastly different forms, is one of the questions Ballard poses the reader....

Nor are his books particulary dystopian or utopian... they are much more difficult to classify than that, really. They are, however, quite disturbing, often beautiful; definitely surrealistic, yet frequently with an almost clinical eye to addressing reality....

As I said before, a truly unique voice, with a truly unique vision....

As for D_Davis' question... I only fairly recently got hold of Hello, America, and I've not read either at this point, so I'm afraid I won't be any help there....

 

[Connavar]

That was Empire of the Sun - part autobiography. It's about Ballard's early life in Shanghai. It is followed by The Kindness of Women, about his mother's death.

In regards to his SF, it is more Speculative than Science, and yes, it is often described as dystopian.

He is an author who really understands western culture: society, pop-culture, consumerism, technology, family, desires, dreams, and how all of these things impact our psyches. He often deals with isolation in the midst of society, and many of his stories possess an atmosphere of intense loss and longing.

While he has moved away from what we might call SF (at least in the way it is defined by genrehounds), he still deals with themes that present themselves in a SF manner.

Pick this up:

The Best Short Stories of...
Amazon.com: The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard: J. G. Ballard, Anthony Burgess: Books

It is amazing, and will give you a great insight into the kind of author he is. I cannot imagine anyone who is really into SF and good literature not loving most of these stories.

I see what you mean by Speculative rather than Science. But im starting to dislike the word Speculative when its used to SF.
Many authors are liked that not about the Science. Its why its called Science Fiction.

Too many times people use Speculative like SF isnt good enough of genre for authors like this.

I read even an interview where my alltime favorit Jack Vance didnt want to call his SF...Science Fiction.....

Its just a genre name, it doesnt bring down the quality of work automaticly, its not Sc-Fi....

 

[D_Davis]

I can definitely vouch for War Fever - it contains some excellent stories, and it a pretty good introduction to Ballard.

Do the "ecological disaster" quartet books need to be read in order, or are they a quartet in theme only?

In trying to think of a way to describe Ballard's voice, his vision, I found that it is really hard to come up with the right words. His stories are like snapshots of beautiful and frightening dreams, dreams that are often times nightmares of our own making. His characters find themselves trapped and isolated by the very worlds and things they helped to create.

You know that unsettling feeling you get while watching a David Lynch film? Reading Ballard is kind of like this. His books will make you look at things in a different light.

 

[Connavar]

I can definitely vouch for War Fever - it contains some excellent stories, and it a pretty good introduction to Ballard.

Do the "ecological disaster" quartet books need to be read in order, or are they a quartet in theme only?

In trying to think of a way to describe Ballard's voice, his vision, I found that it is really hard to come up with the right words. His stories are like snapshots of beautiful and frightening dreams, dreams that are often times nightmares of our own making. His characters find themselves trapped and isolated by the very worlds and things they helped to create.

You know that unsettling feeling you get while watching a David Lynch film? Reading Ballard is kind of like this. His books will make you look at things in a different light.

Have you read Day of the Creation ? Or are you new to JG and read only few works ?


War Fever it is then.

Books wise its beteween Super-Cannes and Day of the Creation which has a plus cause of the interesting sounding version of Africa.

 

[D_Davis]

I have Day of Creation, but I have not read it yet. I've mostly read his short stories and novellas, but I will be diving into his novels soon. I read The Best Short Stories of... Years ago, and, like I said, it totally blew my mind. I then read the few books I could get my hands on, and only recently have I ordered a bunch of the harder to find in stores stuff.

It's weird, I did the same think with Theodore Sturgeon. I read The Dreaming Jewels many years ago, totally loved, but I waited until about a year ago to really dive deep into his work.

I have heard many good things bout DoC.

War Fever is worth it just for The Secret History of World War 3. It's a great story. I rank it right along side Bester's The Disappearing Act, which is probably my favorite short story.

 

[D_Davis]

Cool quote from a good inverview:

JGB: [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] So if you regard s.f. as the folk literature of the twentieth century, as many people do, its inaccuracies pale into insignificance. In many ways, accuracy is the last refuge of the unimaginative -- it's a last-ditch retreat. Because I think there's something vital about the power of the imagination and its ability to remake the world. You see this, for instance, in the classic surrealist paintings of Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Giorgio de Chirico and Paul Delvaux, where the laws of time and space are constantly being suspended, and where reality is decoded in an attempt to discover the superreality that lies behind the facade of everyday life. And that means everything from the world of politics and mass merchandising to something as trivial as the fabrics people have in their homes.[/FONT]

1987 Rolling Stone JG Ballard interview with Jonathan Cott
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]

 

[j d worthington]

I see what you mean by Speculative rather than Science. But im starting to dislike the word Speculative when its used to SF.
Many authors are liked that not about the Science. Its why its called Science Fiction.

Too many times people use Speculative like SF isnt good enough of genre for authors like this.

I read even an interview where my alltime favorit Jack Vance didnt want to call his SF...Science Fiction.....

Its just a genre name, it doesnt bring down the quality of work automaticly, its not Sc-Fi....

Well, as has been said elsewhere, there are several reasons for the label "speculative fiction", one of which was, of course, to differentiate it from the harder, technologically (or physical-science or engineering) oriented sf, another to mark it as different from the pulpish conventions that often still hover over sf. Incidentally, one of the first to propose this label, iirc, was Robert A. Heinlein, in part because "science fiction" seemed a too-restrictive label....

Incidentally, The Disaster Area is also a very good collection of Ballard's tales....

On the quote you brought in... this is also an important connection, as Ballard's work is heavily influenced by the classic surrealist painters (perhaps especially Delvaux, whose works are frequently mentioned in his writing); and many of his stories and novels begin with such a surrealistic tableau (or have a series of many such throughout them), which is then explored through the remainder of the work....