Ray Bradbury was long the most influential sci-fi writer in the world, the poeti
c and visionary author of such classics as "Fahrenheit 451," "The Martian Chroni
cles," and "The Illustrated Man
"
But he also lived a fascinating life outside
the parameters of sci-fi, and was a masterful raconteur of his own story, as he
reveals in his wide-ranging and in-depth final interview with his acclaimed bio
grapher, Sam Weller. After moving to Los Angeles, he became an inveterate fanboy
of movie stars, spending hours waiting at studio gates to get autographs. He wo
uld later get to know many of Hollywood's most powerful figures when he became a
major screenwriter, and he details here what it was like to work for legendary
directors such as John Huston and Alfred Hitchcock. And then there are all the c
elebrities--from heads of state like Mikhail Gorbachev to rock stars like David
Bowie and the members of Kiss--who went out of their way to arrange encounters w
ith Bradbury.
