The Real History Behind Book Burning and Fahrenheit 451

In this essay for Time magazine, Lily Rothman provides a concise yet detailed historical account of book burning. Rothman emphasizes the infamous “bibliocaust” conducted in 1933 at the hands of the Nazis, but she also provides other examples from around the globe, as well as broader historical context.

Why Fahrenheit 451 is the Book of Our Social Media Age

Reflecting on the 2018 film adaptation that he wrote and directed, Ramin Bahrani discusses why he believes Bradbury’s classic novel remains as relevant as ever in the current age of social media. Bahrani also discusses the moral and legal issues involved in burning actual books for his film.

Ray Bradbury on Sci-Fi, God and Robots: The Late Author’s Biggest Ideas

In this short piece written for Wired magazine, Angela Watercutter collects quotes from Bradbury on a variety of topics. In addition to the topics named in the article title, Watercutter includes Bradbury quotes on learning, politics, the internet, and sanity.

Dreams of Ray Bradbury: Predictions that Came True

Hayley Tsukuyama’s essay for The Washington Post outlines ten of the most prescient predictions that Bradbury made in his fiction. Although Tsukuyama largely focuses on technological inventions (e.g., thimble radios and self-driving cars), she also highlights Bradbury’s concerns about electronic surveillance and the increasing isolation and loneliness of society.

A Conversation with Ray Bradbury by Larry Bridges

This 22-minute video features Bradbury talking about various topics, from his early love of reading to his decades of experience as a writer. Students of Fahrenheit 451 will find it especially interesting to hear Bradbury reflect on his process for writing the novel.

Overdue Podcast, Ep. 274: Fahrenheit 451

In this one-hour episode of the podcast Overdue, hosts Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting discuss various aspects of the novel. The episode will be especially enjoyable for first-time readers of the book, since for each episode of Overdue one of the hosts has just read the book under discussion for the first time.

History of Science Fiction

Part I: https://futurism.media/history-of-science-fiction-part-i
Part II: https://futurism.media/history-of-science-fiction-part-ii
Part III: https://futurism.media/history-of-science-fiction-part-iii

Writing for the online journal Futurism, Anthony Gramuglia provides a three-part history of science fiction, from the earliest proto-scifi writings through the end of the twentieth century. Gramuglia’s history provides broad but useful context for Bradbury’s mid-twentieth-century masterpiece.

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