INDIANAPOLIS — Two IUPUI professors of English, William F. Touponce and Jonathan R. Eller, have compiled the early works of American author Ray Bradbury in the recently published The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury — A Critical Edition: Volume I, 1938-1943 (Kent State University Press).
The collection includes some familiar Bradbury works along with 13 stories that few people have read. About half of the book is a critical commentary of the stories, providing the textual history of each story. Bradbury (1920-2012) was the author of many novels, including the classics Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and hundreds of short stories. He was also a screenwriter, the host of Ray Bradbury Theatre, and a noted poet.
Touponce is director of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies in the Institute for American Thought within the IU School of Liberal Arts. Eller is senior textual editor for the Institute for American Thought and co-founder of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies. Eller also is textual editor for the Peirce Edition Project and the Santayana Edition in the Institute for American Thought. The Bradbury Center is a repository for unique photocopies of a number of Bradbury manuscript materials and houses a database of his correspondence and published writings.
There will be a Celebration of Ray Bradbury March 22-23 at various locations — a joint effort of The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at IUPUI, Indy Reads Books, the Irvington Public Library and Bookmamas bookstore. All events are free and open to the public.
On March 22 at 7 p.m. at Indy Reads Books, 911 Massachusetts Ave., Prof. Jon Eller will lead a discussion of The Martian Chronicles. On Saturday, March 23, at the Irvington Public Library, 5625 E. Washington St. at 10:30 a.m., Prof. Eller will speak on the subject “A Miracle of Rare Device: The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies,” and at 2 p.m. he will lead a discussion of Fahrenheit 451, followed by a screening of the film based on the novel. Professor Eller will give a short introduction prior to the film’s screening.
All appropriate books will be available for sale by Indy Reads and Bookmamas.
