J.G. Ballard

Will Self has written a short piece in today's Guardian newspaper, expressing his deep admiration for the British writer J. G. Ballard, who passed away earlier this year. The article anticipates what would have been Ballard's 79th birthday on 15 November, and declares him the 'last great English avatar of the avant garde'. Self acknowledges the contribution Ballard has made to 'literature, to the visual arts, to architectural theory and even philosophy', before elaborating on the profound influence Ballard held on Self's own confidence and creative imagination: Tomorrow, on what would have been his 79th birthday, family and friends of JG Ballard will gather ... Read Full Story

British author J. G. Ballard on David Lynch's Blue Velvet  (originally published in Time Out  in 1993): Blue Velvet is, for me, the best film of the 1980s - surreal, voyeuristic, subversive and even a little corrupt in its manipulation of the audience. In short, the perfect dish for the jaded palates of the 1990s. But a thicket of puzzles remains. First, why do the sensible young couple, played by Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern, scheme to break into the apartment of the brutalized nightclub singer (Isabella Rossellini) and risk involving themselves with the psychopathic gangster - Dennis Hopper in his most terrifying screen ... Read Full Story

Geoff Manaugh is the author of BLDGBLOG and the forthcoming BLDGBLOG Book , previewed on Omnivoracious last week . I thought his unique perspective would be of interest to readers curious about J.G. Ballard and his worldview. I hope you enjoy his short essay. It encapsulates a lot of the elements I find fascinating about Ballard. - Jeff VanderMeer Between the Tower and the Parking Lot: A Spatial Appreciation of J.G. Ballard by Geoff Manaugh J.G. Ballard, who died on Sunday at the age of 78, leaves behind far more than his status as a "cult author," science fiction novelist, or agent provocateur . ... Read Full Story

JG Ballard, a cult author best known for his book "Empire of the Sun" about his childhood struggle to survive in a Japanese internment camp, has died after a long illness, his agent said. He was 78. Margaret Hanbury announced his death from cancer on Sunday with "great sadness", saying he had been ill "for several years". Hanbury, who had been Ballard's agent for more than 25 years, described his "acute and visionary" observation of the world, which led him to produce disquieting novels and won him a cult following. Despite regularly being referred to as a science fiction writer, Ballard said what he ... Read Full Story

Writer J.G. Ballard, best known for the autobiographical novel "Empire Of The Sun," which drew on his childhood detention in a Japanese prison camp in China, died Sunday, his agent said. He was 78. Ballard was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. He had been ill "for several years" and died in London at the home of his long-term partner, his agent Margaret Hanbury said. She did not give the cause of death. "His acute and visionary observation of contemporary life was distilled into a number of brilliant, powerful novels which have been published all over the world and saw Ballard gain cult status," ... Read Full Story