At the Baton Rouge Big Read Kickoff, Saturday, 09 February 2008, Beth Courtney, President of LPB, interviewed Ray Bradbury by phone. The call was set up by Clay Fourrier, LPB Executive Producer, in conjunction with Mr. Bradbury's daughter.
Some of the points I recall (Sorry, I forgot to take notes. Clay Fourrier contributed the last two items.) follow:
Bradbury is 87 years old and using a wheelchair so travel is just about out of the question.
There is current discussions underway about a re-make of the movie Fahrenheit 451.
Bradbury considers Fahrenheit 451 to be his only work of "science fiction." All the rest of his works he classifies "science fantasy."
He was self-educated through use of the public libraries to which he had access.
He began writing Fahrenheit 451 at a local library that would rent a small room with a typewriter for 10 cents for thirty minutes (I think that was the rate). Therefore, he loaded his pocket with dimes and headed there to work. He would collect various books from the shelves for research and, in nine days, had finished his manuscript.
Bradbury is excited about Fahrenheit 451 soon to be published in the Egyptian language. It is to be released in Alexandria where the library was burned 5000 years ago.
Bradbury has recently had a new collection of short stories published. One is entitled We'll Always Have Paris, about ... wait for it ... Paris - because that’s where he and his wife went every year for twenty years.
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