Due to his bad eyesight Ray Bradbury was rejected for induction into the military during World War II which left him free to start a career in writing. He was inspired by science-fiction heroes such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. [1]
American writer Ray Bradbury was one of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, and worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.
Bradbury was born on 22 August 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois, and grew up in a town that would later become the fictional Green Town in many of his stories. His parents, Esther and Leonard Bradbury encouraged his early fascination with storytelling, and by the age of 12, he was already writing his own tales—sometimes on butcher paper when money was tight. An avid reader from an early age, Bradbury spent countless hours in the Carnegie Library in Waukegan, absorbing the works of H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, and Edgar Allan Poe. Poe’s influence was particularly strong; Bradbury began writing traditional horror stories in imitation of the master until his late teens.
In 1934, the Bradbury family moved to Los Angeles, where Ray attended Los Angeles High School. He graduated in 1938 but did not pursue formal college education. Instead, he credited his lifelong love of reading and learning to the public library, which he described as his true university. During his youth in L.A., he immersed himself in books, films, and lectures, often mingling with figures from the entertainment world. At 22, he sold his first solo story, The Lake, for $13.75, and by 24, he was earning a living as a full-time writer.
Bradbury married Marguerite “Maggie” McClure in 1947. She was the only woman he ever dated, and their marriage lasted for more than five decades until her death in 2003. Together, they raised four daughters.
Bradbury would go on to write over 27 novels and story collections, including Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, and more than 600 short stories. His early years—rooted in books, imagination, and tireless creativity—laid the foundation for a literary legacy that would influence generations around the world.
Selected links for relevant websites, books, movies, videos, and more. Some of these links lead to protected content on this website, learn more about that here.