Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars

by Ray Bradbury

He is an American treasure, a clear-eyed fantasist without peer, and a literary icon who has created wonder for the better part of seven decades. On subjects as diverse as fiction, the future, film, famous personalities, and more, Ray Bradbury has much to say, as only he can say it. Collected between these covers are memories, ruminations, opinions, prophecies, and philosophies from one of the most influential and admired writers of our time. As unique, unabashed, and irrepressible as the artist himself, here is an intimate portrait, painted with the master's own words, of the one and only Ray Bradbury—far more revealing than any mere memoir, for it opens windows not only into his life and work but also into his mind and heart.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Writing, Memoir, Biography, Reference, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2005

About the author

Ray Douglas Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.

Bradbury is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen the Stars (2001).

The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B) 72% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Unabashedly optimistic and prideful, it has a handful of excellent pieces amongst largely rambling/nonsensical filler.

[Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admiro tanto al viejo Ray... Más allá de que los ensayos publicados en este libro son un tanto repetitivos, me quedo con el capítulo "La ballena, el capricho y yo", en el que cuenta sus días en Irlanda cuando viajó con el director de cine John Huston para escribir el guión de la adaptación de Moby Dick. Bradbury estaba bloqueado y no podía avanzar hasta que en un rapto de inspiración, dijo en el medio de la habitación en calzonzillos "¡Hoy soy Herman Melville!" y escribió de un tirón el resto del guión hasta altas horas de la madrugada...

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It makes me almost want to cry, having to give this essay collection such a low score. I adore Bradbury, love everything he's ever written, love his enthusiasm and sheer zest for life (and honestly, think about it -- how many people can you describe using the word 'zest' accurately? not many, I'll bet). But what destroyed this collection for me was two things: 1) most of these pieces were pulled from previous publications, and taken out of context, they lose their power / appeal. They just lack the emphasis they otherwise would've carried. 2) There's so much repetition here. Several of these essays are just the same stories, told over and over again, to the point that they frequently even use the same words. For someone like Bradbury, who's known for his exuberant use of language and description, that's really a crime. I read his biography not too long ago, and this essay collection reads almost like that bio told in Bradbury's own words, rather than through another writer's voice. So disappointing...

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Third attempt. Cherrypicked. Read the first 67 pages and the Wizard of Oz essay (the specific reason I checked it out for the long Memorial Day weekend). Suffers from repetition and goofiness... I wish Bradbury didn't feel the need to present himself as a constantly perky kid at heart, like some sort of sci- fi Willie Wonka tour guide at a neverending 1938 World Expo. His claims to being a go-to consultant and a Hollywood insider is cringe.

[Melanti · Rating 2 out of 5]

This suffers from some of the same repetitiveness that caused me to give A Pleasure to Burn just two stars. He can repeat himself at the best of times and you deliberately group his similar stories together, that's even more apparent. This is a collection of essays that Bradbury wrote over the course of his career about various things but I wouldn't exactly all it non-fiction. There's a lot of personal anecdotes that are obviously either created out of whole cloth or greatly elaborated upon.

So, a handful of thing that I noted about the essays --

First, judging by these, Bradbury's experience writing the script for "Moby Dick" obviously had a lingering influence on him - it's something that he mentions over and over again for decades. Yet, I don't recall seeing much influence in his short stories. Is there truly none or is it there and I'm just not recognizing it since I've never read that book?

Second, it seems a bit hypocritical that Bradbury is so adamantly anti-Television when he spends so much time writing movie scripts and talking about and meeting people in the film industry. I just don't get why there's this disdain for the small format but admiration for the large. It baffles me!

Third, I had NO idea he was so anti-political correctness. In his fiction he seems to be cognizant of the nastier implications of institutional racism, which is much more than I can say for many white male authors so it's very jarring when he insists that someone isn't black - he's colored - like the "semidark retainers in childhood films." Or the other essay where he implied that women who aren't mothers/nurses/teachers are macho male wannabes. Or yet another essay where he seems to think that anyone wanting more women and people of color in their fiction are out of their minds because it would mess with the story's aesthetics. I do tend to think of him as a mid-century "small town America" writer from the pre-civil rights and pre-women's lib era and as such, I guess I just ignore these sorts of problems in his work since it's to be expected from fiction of that era. But some of these essays date to the late 1990s - FAR after that time - and I guess it just bugs me a bit that a writer I like had such attitudes so recently.

Forth... Well, I had more to say, but after my third topic, everything else seems a bit superfluous.

[David Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This essay collection is best appreciated as a convenience, gathering work from hither and yon, some unpublished, for his fans. I'm one, but the repetition and lack of focus tested my patience.

[Julie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat collection of essays that outlines Bradbury's experiences and thoughts on various topics. It has spurred me on to read Moby Dick, 20,000 Leagues and Tender is the Night.

[Juan Bosco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ray Bradbury conoció a Walt Disney y a Bertrand Russell, eso es sólo una fracción de todas las aventuras por las que ha pasado a lo largo de su vida este autor norteamericano.

Visitar París en una hora, mojarse bajo la lluvia en Roma, viajar por tren atravesando los Estados Unidos; y todo eso si contar su amplia obra literaria que ha atraído la atención de generaciones a la lectura, con esa facilidad para hacer imaginar a lector con todo lo posible y ser contagiado del entusiasmo de Bradbury por la vida.

Estos aspectos de la vida de Bradbury se encuentran contenidos en esta colección de ensayos que originalmente fueron publicados en una amplia variedad de publicaciones, además de otro que son inéditos. El estilo de los ensayos de Bradbury es desenfadado, el autor escribe con familiaridad y al leerlo se siente como si fuera un viejo amigo que está platicando contigo sobre lo que piensa del mundo y de las cosas que hay en él.

Comparto el punto de vista de Bradbury en algunas cosas (la exploración del espacio), en otras estoy en desacuerdo con él (la validez de la teoría del Big Bang), y en otros soy más bien indiferente (el amor de Bradbury por Paris). Esto ejemplifica el carácter tan heterogéneo de esta colección, aunque es seguro que habrá al menos una pieza que sea del interés del lector, es igualmente probable que exista al menos otra que no le llame la atención en lo absoluto.

La colección tiene también el problema de ser repetitivo. Como los ensayos que contiene no estaban pensados para ser leídos todos juntos, en ocasiones Bradbury habla de las mismas cosas, en ocasiones usando las mismas expresiones. De allí que sea más que nada un libro para los fans de Bradbury que desean tener una colección lo más completa posible de todo su trabajo.

[Mobill76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

You wouldn't read this if you weren't already a fan. So, ignore this if you're looking for fiction

It's a collection of essays and other unpublished odds and ends but it's pure uninhibited Bradbury. I've attended a couple of his lectures so I have a passing idea of what he's like in person and this is dead-on.

He's very passionate about people with imagination. He roots out the brilliance in all arts like a pig after truffles. Nothing gets in his way of experiencing the best that humanity has to offer and nothing gets in his way of telling you about it.

I'm from a much later age as the author so a lot of his analogies to film and literary figures was lost on me. But the sincerity isn't, and I believe every word he says.

It's good stuff. He appreciates the past heights of our culture but it doesn't sour him that they are so far behind us. His voice still shines with enthusiasm for life. It's upbeat stuff that will send you back out to the mines to try again. The joy is not in the finding. The joy is in the hope that the fantastic is still out there, waiting for you to arrive.

Very inspiring. If you've wished you could face life like Douglas in Dandelion Wine, here's a practical guide.

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

(February 1, 2018) Every time I read Fahrenheit 451 I fall back in love with Bradbury, so I re-downloaded all the books of his I own on Kindle and browsed through. I decided to read an essay in this book, and then I just decided to read the whole book again. I liked it better this time than I did last - I wish he hadn't ended with essays about Paris and Los Angeles because those were not the writings I was interested in. Nevertheless, reading his thoughts regarding so many things really opens my eyes to the wonders of the universe. I wish I could have met the man, but I already know I would never have been able to keep up with him.

(April 8, 2015) I'm a big Bradbury fan and bought this book of essays when it was on sale for the Kindle, finally got around to reading it and -- it's OK. It was worth reading since I am at least to some extent a Bradbury scholar, and I enjoyed seeing beyond the fictions and into this man's mind. Nothing here that is going to turn your world inside out, and to some degree just reaffirmations of what we already know about Bradbury, but good stuff nonetheless.

I did not realize how much a part Bradbury played in the creation on Epcot, or what a big Disney fan he was.

I really enjoyed this book.

[Annabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this gem a few years ago. And I recall giving an ebullient review on Shelfari. A shame it got lost in the migration to Goodreads. So I was compelled to read it again, and try to recapture my exhilaration over it. And then some...

Ray Bradbury always writes with heart. And he banners his heart on his sleeve in every essay he's written here. He rants, he raves, he fanboys, and he brags (boy, does he brag, with false modesty--it took a very succinct, subtle dressing down from Mrs Bertrand Russell to drive that notion home--he's been smarting from that since). He also predicts the future, and definitely, he does as he does best in most of his short stories: he reminisces. Waxing philosophical, political, and sentimental on movies, scripts, books, trains, travel, his fear of flying, and celebrities, Bradbury delivers each story with the spontaneity, wit, and candidness of a well-read polymath and raconteur, it almost felt like we were conversing over heaping portions of sweet Dandelion wine.

To Ray Bradbury, SF and fantasy boy wonder. First man on Mars. All-around Mr Nice Guy: Thank you for the stories. And thank you for these essays.

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great read. The chapters are short and if you only read them out of order, a chapter here or there, they may hold up under a reader's growing scrutiny. Unfortunately, the repetition is not a poetic repetition of Bradbury themes, it is verbatim repetition from essay to essay. It's ok that Bradbury had to work through the wonders of the world around him. It's not ok to throw his thoughts in a book with such disregard for how it would play out in a book like this. I really enjoyed "From the Dust Returned" because it was a recollection of related stories- but here the essays collide and jostle and just won't cooperate well together. On their own, sure, they make interesting, separate reads. As much as I love Bradbury, this one is not a good example of his books. It does get two stars because some of the essays stood so well on their own.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays written from the 1960's thru the 2000's. I love Bradbury's way with words, but the collection felt a little disjointed; the content was almost all recycled from other sources & in some cases, it felt as if the context was lost.

While most of the essays were entertaining; I think I'd rather be reading his fiction. Worth a library read; I'll be passing my copy on to someone else.

[Jevelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful way of looking at the world from childlike eyes

[Thomas Murphy · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is painful to review a book you really, really did not enjoy by your historically favourite author.

A major problem with this book is that it is a collection of essays of his musings on life, people, and places intended to be read in isolation. Reading them as a book one after the other felt really tedious.

I don't want to think of my hero as a braggart or a name dropper; however, that is how this comes across with him telling story after story about himself being the most interesting or remarkable person in the room: the one with the ideas that work, the innovative thinker.

When I've read similar books by similar white men it just never works. It requires that the reader be as fascinated as the writer is with himself. I LOVE RAY BRADBURY and all of his fiction, but I can never get behind a book like this. It also just feels like a lot of mansplaining as though he is speaking to empty vessels.

A further issue is that many of his reference points are far from timeless. He speaks as though everyone knows his references, but he would have then to assume that the majority of his readers were coming of age at the same time as him: the '40s through to the '60s or so. Even worse, he speaks about issues such as gentrification as brilliantly redesigning urban wastelands definitely, DEFINITELY not through a social-justice lens. There was also some dreadfully dated humour (complete with the narrator -- read with an audiobook -- doing a faux Japanese accent) about Japanese tourists and cameras on a tour bus.

The book has its moments, and I'm sure there are many like me who would like to read anything he's ever written, but this was my worst Bradbury experience BY FAR. There were just so many misses. It feels this as though this came out at a time when publishers would literally have published anything with a well-known name attached to it.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably a 3.5 for me. I love listening to the rhythm of Bradbury. There's something alive in his words, a pulse that I can feel, but this collection was not well planned. My main complaint is the repetitive nature of the topics. If you were to make a concordance of this book, I imagine Herman Melville will be among the top words used.

Still, though, there isn't another writer like Ray Bradbury. I plan to add a quote to this review when my son is done his nap and I can access the book.

"We defy old Shakespeare's cry that we are just sound and fury signifying nothing. Our sounding fury will signify something. A silent Universe speaks because we speak. A blind Universe sees because we see. An unknowing Universe knows because we know. Who says? I say. So you will say it, and your children's children's children. We will outlive war and shout-claim the Universe. And live forever, or a million years. Whichever comes first" (Page 154).

[Alexis Castro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro muy entretenido que cuenta algunos hechos no muy conocidos sobre su vida como su amistad con Bertrand Russell o Walt Disney. Contiene al menos una veintena de ensayos, en su gran mayoría ya publicados en diarios y revistas y unos pocos inéditos. A mi humilde parecer peca de escasa profundidad y la extensión del libro no ayuda mucho ( edición suma de letras tiene apenas 288 pp)la vida de un personaje tan rico e interesante como el en la literatura universal hubiese merecido varios cientos de paginas mas. Por esos dos motivos mi calificación es de solo 3 estrellas.

[Katee · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this collection is any indication of his true character, Bradbury seems to have been enraptured by his own literary voice; he indulges to excess in metaphor and description, producing long, hand-wavey pieces that almost always either exist just as an opportunity for him to pat himself on the back (especially about his Moby Dick screenplay) or rave vaguely about the glories of this, that, and the other. His essays are bloated with descriptors that create pretty pictures, but contribute very little to the point he’s trying to make — and the degree to which he is dazzled by this, and by his achievements, make the book a tough wade through egotism. The most ironic part is when, midway through an essay in which he brags to an accomplished modern philosopher about his, Bradbury’s, ability to channel Melville when adapting Moby Dick, Bradbury is firmly but politely reminded by the philosopher’s wife that he should keep his ego in check — and then Bradbury carries on bragging through the second half of the essay.
I really hope that his fiction writing, which has won the respect of many great people, isn’t as self-indulgent as this collection of essays is. I’m giving it three stars because, beneath the self-satisfied prosiness, you can sometimes see valuable optimism and vision, which is worth it if you can put up with the fluff.

[Rex Libris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always found it difficult to sum up the writings of Ray Bradbury. One simply cannot read and then comment; Bradbury's works have to simmer and stew in your mind, you need to allow yourself time to think the writings over and over, and as you do, so much more comes out than was in the writings.

But in a quick commentary, there were many very interesting essays in this work detailing many projects that Bradbury worked on. Bradbury actually wrote the screenplay for the movie Moby Dick.

He also commented that the movie "Singing in the Rain" was the first science fiction musical. While odd at the first glance, Bradbury has a point when the concept of science fiction is analyzed. Science fiction, argues Bradbury, is the the process of human beings adapting to a move from old technology to new. This is exactly what Singing in the Rain is all about. Movies are moving from silents to talkies, and it changes the lives and fortunes of all involved in the process.

[William Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished reading Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon From the Cave, Too Far From the Stars by Ray Bradbury.
If all you did was attempt to struggle through The Martian Chronicles in 7th grade and remember kinda hating it or being bored by it you have a very poor idea of who Bradbury is.

But take a moment, if you will, and read with adult eyes. Read to see his message, to understand his ideas; to see the world as he sees it. Stop looking for theme and fore-shadowing, stop essaying the work and see what he sees. Let him tell you what he thinks, how he thinks.

This book is a collection of essays that does just that. Ray Bradbury was a part of some of the most amazing spectacles of imagination the mid-20th century offered, and these essays take you along to show you the way he thought as he brought them to life.

I don't keep many books for rereading, but this is one of them that I will.

[Steve LaForest · Rating 1 out of 5]

EXTREMELY UTTERLY UNBELIEVABLY ****POOR****

It is quite amazing what can (and apparently has) been published by successful authors. Authors who have apparently grown way too big for their britches - who are so big that there is no possibility that a responsible editor can just say no.

It's almost funny - Bradbury railed against the censors who banned his controversial works and those of other authors. And yet here he is making an argument for libraries not carrying one of his books - not because it expresses contentious views - but because it is trash!

I really did want to read this book - I am a huge Bradbury fan. But there are limits. I cannot come up with any redeeming features whatsoever for this book. What a waste of paper and trees!

My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.

I would dearly have loved to give this book zero stars, or, failing that, one half star. But one star is the lowest possible for Goodreads - so one star it must be.

[Preston Postle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Bradbury. I really do. And I was enthused by his pronouncement that your best writing comes when you're talking about things you care about.

Unfortunately, he seems to mostly care about having written the screenplay for Moby Dick. There is a lot of celebrity name-dropping here as he describes encounters around the world with people he (mostly) admired, and he generally makes himself look humble, but the overall effect is of someone whose self-esteem needed a boost going "See all these people that I rubbed elbows with?!"

These essays are in some cases repetitive and often make him look like an old grump on the porch yelling at kids to get off his lawn. There's some inspiration to be found in his reasoning for going back to the moon and Mars, but not enough to make this collection worthwhile.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up mesmerized by Bradbury's stories. His essays in this book? Not so mesmerizing (with a few exceptions). There is a lot of bragging here (although I suppose that if it's true, it isn't bragging). Still, it comes across as one very healthy ego and that gets tiring. And entirely too many of these essays circle around one topic - Moby Dick and/or his writing the screenplay for the movie version in mid-century. If I come across any other books of Bradbury's essays, I think I'll stick to his fiction.

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Instead of getting insight from one of the greatest sci-fi authors ever about his writing process, futurism, and so on, I got a series of shallow essay on what it's like to adapt Moby Dick and be friends with Walt Disney. I guess the most illuminating thing about this is how you could write short sci-fi stories back in the day and become wealthy and a member of the Hollywood élite.

[TJ Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays within this book sometimes repeat the same stories or anecdotes and I can see that this is either an unedited version of what would become Zen in the Art of Writing, or the extended version. Still, I love learning of the various things Bradbury was a part of and the places he left his mark in many different ways.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. Made me miss Ray. His encounters with Mr. Disney and his empire are alone worth the price of admission.

[Martina · Rating 3 out of 5]

No encontre interesantes todos los ensayos.

[Sue J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of ramblings from Ray Bradbury. While some might be considered winners, I felt like as a whole, they were "just there".

[Chrome · Rating 3 out of 5]

l love the energy and the optimism of these essays.The extravagant display of an ego too large for this solar system makes me smile.