2009 has been a hard year on literary figures so far, with the world losing John Updike in January and the great J.G. Ballard last Sunday. A master of postmodern irony, Ballard wrote across a wide spectrum of topics and themes, ranging from the apocalyptic extremes of The Drowned World and The Drought to the autobiographical truths of Empire of the Sun. Whether readers discovered Ballard through the sci-fi genre, through his movie adaptations, or just through his sterling reputation as a master of the novel and short story, everyone who encountered Ballard’s writing left with more than what they came with, which says a lot about the man.
J.G. Ballard, 1930-2009
Simon Sellers has already put up a comprehensive memorial site for Ballard – http://www.ballardian.com/ – which brings together a vast selection of tributes to the man from most of the major literary publications and such diverse figures as Michael Moorcock, Neil Gaiman, Martin Amis, David Cronenberg, Will Self, and more. Do yourself a favor and spend some time browsing their reminciences of this literary giant. And, if you’ve never read any Ballard, perhaps, thanks to these warm testimonials, you’ll feel impelled to stop by your local library and pick up one of Ballard’s novels. You won’t regret it.
Here are some of our favorite lines from Ballard’s many testimonials:
“In private he was a generous, affectionate, humorous friend who, even when he had very little money, would phone me if he heard I was broke and offer to lend me his last hundred pounds.”
“Ballard was a great exponent of the Flaubertian line – that writers should be orderly and predictable in their lives, so that they can be savage and sinister in their work.”
“When I was a boy, I loved J. G. Ballard. And when I was a teenager I loved J.G. Ballard. And as an adult I loved J.G. Ballard.”
Ballard met his late successes with a brisk, ironic air. His final book, a memoir, was full of warmth and kindness for the people around him, but this poet of the 20th century’s dark side was a stoic figure; the visionary had his cult, but he had no equals.
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For those wanting to know more about Ballard, check out this great BBC documentary, following the writer from Shepperton, England to Shanghai as he discusses the inspirations for his more autobiographical works. Completely worth watching.
