History Creator / JGBallard

* NewWaveScienceFiction: Very few of his stories take place in outer space as he tended to avoid the space opera genre entirely. He expressed his disdain for TV shows such as ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and stressed that science fiction should focus on inner space and the dystopian future of Earth. From the mid-60s, the majority of his stories stretched the potential of science fiction to its creative limits and contained copious amounts of [[BloodierAndGorier graphic violence]] and [[HotterAndSexier sex]], which was looked down upon at the time.

A very prolific author, Ballard wrote 19 novels and 98 short stories over a career that lasted five decades. Several of these were turned to movies, such as ''{{Literature/Crash}}'', ''Film/HighRise'', and the semi-autobiographical novel ''Film/EmpireOfTheSun'', which was about his childhood at the Japanese internment camp.

* AfterTheEnd: Most of his stories take place after a catastrophic event (typically related to climate change or man-made pollution) destroys much of the environment.

* IntentionallyAwkwardTitle: 1968's "Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan" is one hell of a way to draw attention to yourself. The short story is written in the style of a scientific paper and details bizarre experiments to measure the psychosexual appeal of the then-Governor of California who was a Republican candidate for the 1968 presidential race.

* IntentionallyAwkwardTitle: 1968's "Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan" is one hell of a way to draw attention to yourself. The short story is written in the style of a scientific paper and details bizarre experiments to measure the psychosexual appeal of the then-Governor of California who was the Republican candidate for the 1968 presidential race.

* IntentionallyAwkwardTitle: 1968's "Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan" is one hell of a way to draw attention to yourself. The short story is written in the style of a scientific paper and details bizarre experiments to measure the psychosexual appeal of the then-Governor of California who was a potential Republican candidate for the 1968 presidential race.

* CrapsackWorld: The Ballardian dystopia is his trademark. This typically involves a mundane dystopian setting where a disaster has already happened and the characters, often artists, celebrities or wealthy businessmen, find themselves making the most of it before it all comes crashing down around them. For example, ''High-Rise'' is set in an futuristic apartment complex housing the privileged elite on the outskirts of a London. Despite their efforts to coexist, within a few months they devolve into tribalism and barbarism, engaging in brutal warfare up and down the hallways.

* NewWaveScienceFiction: Very few of his stories take place in outer space as he tended to avoid the space opera genre entirely. He expressed his disdain for TV shows such as ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and stressed that science fiction should focus on inner space and the dystopian future of Earth. The majority of his stories stretched the potential of science fiction to its creative limits and contained copious amounts of [[BloodierAndGorier graphic violence]] and [[HotterAndSexier sex]], which was looked down upon at the time.

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A very prolific author, Ballard wrote 19 novels and 98 short stories over a career that lasted five decades. Several of these were turned to movies, such as ''{{Literature/Crash}}'', ''Literature/HighRise'', and the semi-autobiographical novel ''Film/EmpireOfTheSun'', which was about his childhood at the Japanese internment camp.

The UK's burgeoning new wave sci-fi movement was of interest to Ballard and he would shift the tone of his writing to much darker territories. Helen's death from pneumonia in 1964 would further motivate him toward a bleaker outlook on life and humanity. He compiled various short stories and novellas to form the iconic and highly controversial novel ''TheAtrocityExhibition''. This novel was so problematic for the time that it led to an obscenity trial in the UK. The US publisher Doubleday would destroy most of the 1959print run before its publication. Despite these efforts from the establishment, ''The Atrocity Exhibition'''s experimental quality made Ballard a literary icon.

* "Build-Up"[[note]]Alternatively titled "The Concentration City"[[/note]].

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* "Build-Up"

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The UK's burgeoning new wave sci-fi movement was of interest to Ballard and he would shift the tone of his writing to much darker territories. Helen's death from pneumonia in 1964 would further motivate him toward a bleaker outlook on life and humanity. He compiled various short stories and novellas to form the iconic and highly controversial novel ''TheAtrocityExhibition''. This novel was so problematic for the time that it led to an obscenity trial in the UK. The US publisher Doubleday would destroy most of the print run before its publication. Despite these efforts from the establishment, ''The Atrocity Exhibition'''s experimental quality made Ballard a literary icon.

J. G. Ballard passed away in 2009. He never remarried, but lived with his life-long partner Claire Walsh. His monumental output and influence on the science fiction genre can still be felt to this day in his native UK and beyond.

J. G. Ballard passed away in 2009. He never remarried, but lived with his life-long partner Claire Walsh. His monumental output and influence on the science-fiction genre can still be felt to this day in his native UK and beyond.

A very prolific author, Ballard wrote 19 novels and 98 short stories over a career that lasted five decades. Several of these were turned to movies, such as ''Literature/Crash'', ''Literature/HighRise'', and the semi-autobiographical novel ''Literature/EmpireOfTheSun'', which was about his childhood at the Japanese internment camp.

The son of British expats based in China, J. G. Ballard was born in the Shanghai International Settlement in 1930. Following the Japanese attack on Hong Kong and subsequent takeover of the Settlement during World War II, the Ballard family were moved to an internment camp for the duration of the war. Despite life going on as normal, the young Ballard would witness the casual brutality of the Japanese military toward both the Chinese and Allied civilians. It's likely that this experience had a profound effect on him to the point where it influenced his writings as an adult.

Ballard published his first novel, ''The Wind From Nowhere'' in 1961, which would become the first in a series of novels about mind-bending apocalypses. He had begun submitting stories to various sci-fi publications such as ''NewWorlds'' and ''ScienceFantasy'' as far back in 1956 with the stories 'Escapement' and 'Prima Belladonna', the latter of which was set in the surreal resort of ''Vermilion Sands''. He'd revisit the world of ''Vermilion Sands'' multiple times until 1970 and later compile the stories into a collection of the same name. By the mid-60s, Ballard had published dozens of short stories, much of which had appeared in the influential ''NewWorlds'' magazine.

The UK's burgeoning new wave sci-fi movement was of interest to Ballard and he would shift the tone of his writing to much darker territories. Helen's death from pneumonia in 1964 would further motivate him toward a bleaker outlook on life and humanity. He compiled various short stories and novellas to form the iconic and highly controversial novel ''TheAtrocityExhibition''. This novel was so problematic for the time that it led to an obscenity trial in the UK. The US publisher Doubleday would destroy most of the print run before its publication. Despite these efforts from the establishment,

A very prolific author, Ballard wrote 19 novels and 98 short stories over a career that lasted five decades.

James Graham Ballard (15 November 1930 – 19 April 2009) was a British novelist, satirist and essayist. A literary titan in the field of science fiction, Ballard's most famous contribution the genre was the landmark post-apocalyptic epic TheDrownedWorld. Considered a pioneer of the NewWaveScienceFiction sub-genre, Ballard was known for his experimental narratives, controversial subject matter, and the surreal, nightmarish worlds his characters casually inhabited. The dehumanization of sex and technology were recurring themes in his writing.

The son of British expats based in China, J. G. Ballard was born in the Shanghai International Settlement in 1930. Following the Japanese attack on Hong Kong and subsequent takeover of the Settlement during World War II, the Ballard family were moved to a P.O.W. camp for the duration of the war. Despite life going on as normal, the young Ballard would witness the casual brutality of the Japanese military toward both the Chinese and Allied civilians. It's likely that this experience had a profound effect on him to the point where it influenced his writings as an adult.

A very prolific author, Ballard wrote 15 novels and 98 short stories over a career that lasted five decades.

James Graham Ballard (15 November 1930 – 19 April 2009) was a British novelist, satirist and essayist. A literary titan in the field of science fiction, Ballard's most famous contribution the genre was the landmark post-apocalyptic epic TheDrownedWorld. Considered a pioneer of the NewWaveScienceFiction sub-genre, Ballard was known for his experimental narratives, controversial subject matter (to the point of repeated attempts to censor him) and the surreal, nightmarish worlds his characters casually inhabited.

The popularity of his work among fans gave rise to the adjective 'Ballardian' , which is defined by the Collins English Dictionary as: "resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in Ballard's novels and stories, esp dystopian modernity, bleak artificial landscapes, and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments."

James Graham Ballard (15 November 1930 – 19 April 2009) was a British novelist, satirist and essayist. A literary titan in the field of science fiction, Ballard's most famous contribution the genre was the landmark post-apocalyptic epic TheDrownedWorld. Considered a pioneer of the NewWaveScienceFiction sub-genre, Ballard's was known for his experimental narratives, controversial subject matter (to the point of repeated attempts to censor him) and the surreal, nightmarish worlds his characters casually inhabited.

-->-- '''J. G. Ballard'''