J.G. Ballard: Quotes: Does the Future Have a Future?

by V. Vale (Editor), J.G. Ballard, Marian Wallace

Ballard's books have remained fresh decades after they were first published, and the thoughts collected in J.G. Ballard: Quotes have worn equally as well. Small enough to fit in a pocket, this book brings together J. G. Ballard's trenchant thoughts on music, film, celebrity, the rise of corporate media, the death of reality, and much more. Grouped by topics such as "Sex: Relationships, Sex x Technology equals the Future, Pornography" and "Surrealism, Imagination," these quotes are both concise and clear, and provide a strong beacon for readers who are used to a baffling daily assault of advertisements, phone calls, and e-mails. They are also an excellent resource to help readers better understand Ballard's novels, which stand among the most visionary, provocative literature of the 20th century. A Ballardian glossary, the essay "Guide to Virtual Death," and a bibliography round out this excellent resource.

416 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2004

About the author

Japanese-American writer and publisher. He also played keyboards for the later famous power trio Blue Cheer.

In 1977 he started to publish the punk fanzine "Search and destroy" In 1980, he began publication of RE/Search, a tabloid format zine focusing on various counterculture and underground topics.

RE/Search later became always a format for books, of which Vale is a regular contributor.

Reviews

[Lilith]

He's one of my most favorite authors based on his short stories. Very interesting man, love his insights on technology, culture, art, sex, "the future" etc... very quotable too

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sort of book you can pick up, flip through and find something thought provoking instantly! Brilliant writer

[Brian James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this book, after more than a year of taking it in small doses. I was quite surprised with the wealth of fascinating ideas explored in this wide-ranging collection of Ballard thoughts. I've never been able to truly connect with Ballard's fiction. Though I've enjoyed the books of his that I've read, I always thought the ideas within them were more appealing than the actual story. After reading this, I know why. J.G. Ballard had very well thought out conceptions about such daunting subjects such as the role of the psychopath in our society, the notion of the future having been destroyed by our endless fascination with the present, and the nature of imagination. A truly wonderful book that would have gotten five stars except for the poor decision on the part of the editors on numerous occasions to list 3 or 4 quotes in a row that stated the same exact thing with only a few words changed, or sometimes just a change in sentence structure. As my editor always tell me, choose the most effective one and say it only once.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

GUILTY!..quotes are the adult equivalent to a children's picture book.

[Molly Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

In short, this book is my Bible.

[Anwar]

help me, pls, how could I open them.. it is not available for me! :(