Earlier today, the world lost one of the greatest science fiction authors to ever write in the English language. J.G. Ballard concluded his battle with prostate cancer at the age of 79.
Ballard's prose is marked by a tight, focused humanity often surrounded by inhumane technology. He was a master of the dystopian vision and a bold pioneer into the potential depths of subtlety and emotion in speculative fiction. Whereas many of his contemporaries attempted to grasp the wonder inspired by the exponential growth of technology in the 20th century, Ballard's perspective is often more internal. His stories are character-driven and rarely linger on technical jargon. His work belongs in equal parts to the paranoid visions of William Gibson and the alternative mindset of William Burroughs.
Born in Shanghai, China, James Graham Ballard was the son of a textile chemist. Read more
