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James BallardEnglish science fiction writer
Date of Birth: 15.11.1930
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of James Ballard
James Ballard, an English science fiction writer, is considered one of the most notable figures in the literature of the second half of the 20th century. Initially associated with the "new wave" of science fiction writers, such as Aldiss and Moorcock, Ballard's writing style later leaned towards postmodernism. His last period of creativity, which brought him worldwide fame, was marked by the creation of the so-called "psychopathological thrillers," later categorized by literary critics as "transgressive science fiction," in which the protagonists break societal norms using unconventional and often illegal methods. Despite the shocking content of many of his works, James Ballard has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Booker Prize, the Golden Pen, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He is also an honorary doctor of several universities.
Early Life and Education
James Ballard was born on November 15th in Shanghai. His father, a chemist by profession, was the head and managing director of the Shanghai branch of the textile company "Calico Printers". The writer's early years were spent in a Shanghai district where foreigners lived, and he began his education there. The start of the Second Sino-Japanese War forced the Ballard family to evacuate hastily. However, after the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and Shanghai in 1943, James and his parents, along with his younger sister, were interned in a camp for two years. The writer's childhood memories of this period would later form the basis of one of his most famous works, "Empire of the Sun" (although he did not depict his own parents in this book). It is evident that it was the experiences of war that laid the foundation for the "apocalyptic" nature of Ballard's writing, his tendencies towards describing violence and destruction. In late 1945, Edna Ballard managed to return to England with her children. They settled in the outskirts of Plymouth, and James continued his education at a boarding school in Cambridge. Two years later, his mother and sister returned to his father in China, and the future writer remained in the care of his grandparents. In 1949, James began studying medicine at the Royal College in Cambridge, intending to specialize in psychiatry. His exposure to psychoanalytic works and the works of surrealist artists inspired him to embark on his own creative journey. In 1951, he wrote a Hemingway-style short story titled "Rebellious Noon," which won a student competition for crime stories and was published in the university newspaper "Varsity." Encouraged by this success, James decided to abandon his medical studies and transferred to Queen Mary College, where he focused on studying English literature. However, he was expelled after just one year. Ballard began earning a living by writing advertisements for advertising agencies and selling books on the street, all the while continuing to write stories that he couldn't get published. In 1954, James was called up for military service and served in the Royal Air Force in Canada. It was during his military service that Ballard became enthralled with American magazines, particularly those publishing science fiction stories, which served as a source of inspiration for his own writing. While in the service, he wrote his first science fiction story, "Passport to Eternity." After thirteen months of service, James Ballard returned to England in 1955. He settled in Shepperton and married Helen Mary Matthews. In 1956, Ballard published his first stories, "Escapement" and "Prima Belladonna," and soon became a regular contributor to the magazine "New Worlds." He also became an assistant editor for the scientific journal "Chemistry and Industry." At the same time, Ballard was still drawn to art - he actively participated in the emerging pop art movement, organizing exhibitions and showcasing his own collages. In 1960, the Ballard family, which now included three children, moved to London. James decided to dedicate himself fully to his writing career and, as a test of his abilities, he wrote the disaster novel "The Wind from Nowhere" in just two weeks, which he did not take seriously and later did not include in his bibliography. When this book was published in 1962, Ballard resigned from "Chemistry and Industry." A year later, he released the novel "The Drowned World," after which he was hailed as a writer of the "new wave" and his early stories were reissued. In 1964, Ballard's wife unexpectedly died of pneumonia. The writer never recovered from this blow and did not remarry (although he met Claire Walsh two years later, who became his close friend, and with whom he spent the last days of his life). The grief from losing his beloved wife led to the creation of the collection of stories "The Atrocity Exhibition," which was published in 1970 and subsequently reissued multiple times. This book brought the writer worldwide fame with a touch of scandal. The protagonists of his stories became pathological individuals obsessed with ideas of murder and destruction. One of the chapters in "The Atrocity Exhibition" was titled "Crash!" and depicted the connection between sexual desires and car crashes. In the same year, Ballard organized an exhibition of crashed cars. This line of thought was further developed in his next novel, "Crash" (translated as "Crash!" in Russian, 1973). James Ballard authored a total of 17 novels and 18 short story collections, with six of his works adapted into films. In 2006, the writer was diagnosed with terminal cancer, after which he published his autobiography titled "Miracles of Life." James Ballard passed away on April 19, 2007.
