J.G. Ballard, author Empire of the Sun, has died
by sernabad
J.G. Ballard, known for his forward-thinking interest in topics well before their time, and author of Empire of the Sun, a fictionalized account of his childhood, died yesterday.
Born in Shanghai in 1930, Ballard, his parents, and sister were interned by the Japanese for more than two years. From that experience, much of which he describes as the happiest time of his life until he married, was the basis for his novel Empire of the Sun (1984). Three years later, Steven Spielberg turned it into a blockbuster movie of the same which garnered six Oscar nominations.
Ballard’s other big hit, Crash (1973), is now considered a cult classic. His characters in this controversial novel find sexual pleasure in car accidents. David Cronenberg made this novel into the film, Crash, in 1996 starring James Spader and Holly Hunter.
Ballard is also credited with being one of the first people to explore ecological catastrophe and the cult of celebrity.
J.G. Ballard was 78.
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