“I am a preventer of futures, not a predictor of them. I wrote Fahrenheit 451 to prevent book-burnings, not to induce that future into happening, or even to say that it was inevitable.”
Ray Bradbury was a lover of books and libraries. After graduating from high school, he was not able to afford going to college. Instead, he would spend several hours each day reading in the library. After several years of this, he decided that he had amassed enough knowledge to try writing a novel for himself.
Bradbury never stopped visiting the library, or reading as many books as he could. It is striking, then, that one of his most famous novels is about a fireman who burns books. As someone who was practically raised in libraries, Bradbury knew the importance of books and their value to society.
Fahrenheit 451 is arguably Ray Bradbury’s most famous work. This dystopian novel is set in a future in which books are illegal and burned by firemen.
Naming characters can be difficult, but you might not have to look as far as you think. Ray took inspiration from Faber-Castell pencils and Montag paper company, both brands that would have been on his desk as he wrote.
Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler was cited by Ray Bradbury as an inspiration for Fahrenheit 451. Darkness at Noon is a seminal work of twentieth-century literature, a penetrating exploration of the moral danger inherent in a system that is willing to enforce its beliefs by any means necessary.
The original short story that would later be expanded into Bradbury’s first novel was published in a pulp science fiction magazine called Galaxy.
Fahrenheit 451 was published by Ballatine Books in October 1953. The first edition included 2 additional short stories: “The Playground” and “And the Rock Cried Out.”
Though Bradbury adapted the novel to a stage play in the 1970s, the world premiere performance is claimed by the Civic Theatre of Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1988. Bradbury himself adapted the story, but seems to have drawn inspiration from changes made in the 1966 film.
Illustrated by Tim Hamilton, this adaptation was approved by Ray, who wrote an introduction for it. The graphic novel was also nominated for an Eisner Award, one of the most prestigious comic awards in the United States.
1.Why would the idea of censorship of books be of particular interest to Bradbury?
2. What are the whimsical or magical elements of Fahrenheit 451? What may have inspired Bradbury to include those elements?
3. Bradbury later influenced many people like astronauts, engineers, and Disney Imagineers. Can you think of any real world examples of something that is seen in the book?
4. What books are specifically named throughout Fahrenheit 451? Why did Bradbury choose to draw attention to these books in particular?
5. Bradbury chose to write using a typewriter, even when computers became popular. What can you infer about his feelings toward technology based on Fahrenheit 451?
