J. G. Ballard
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Major Issues Major IssuesBiographical critics point to many intriguing connections between the violence that permeates much of J. G. Ballard’s writing and the traumatic events that he experienced as a child and adult. J. G. Ballard’s work is usually classified as science fiction, but most reviewers emphasize his important innovations to that genre. Critics have studied Ballard’s contributions to the "New Wave" of science fiction in the 1960s, especially the shifted emphasis from plot to psychology. Ballard’s works often focus on his characters’ psychological response to unexpected disaster or extreme crisis. Scholars note Ballard’s creation of nightmarish, dystopian scenarios, and his fascination with time as the fourth dimension. Disease, death, hospitals, and the dead predominate in his fiction. Ballard always refuses the real in favor of the surreal, and he has been compared to postmodern writers like Donald Barthelme. Author Linkswww.jgballard.comSpike Magazine’s unofficial J.G. Ballard website provides links to essays and reviews of Ballard’s major works, and to many eclectic Ballard-related sites. "Salon" magazine interview A 1997 interview in which Ballard talks about the influence of William Burroughs on his writing, and the darkness, humour, and anti-bourgeois features of his and Burroughs’ work. Featured Author: J.G. Ballard Reviews of Ballard’s books, plus articles by and about Ballard from The New York Times Archives. J.G. Ballard: 20th Century Chronicler Lists and summarizes Ballard’s works, and provides access to interviews, and Ballard criticism. 99 Stella Vista Ballard biography, with lists and summaries of works, and links to other online Ballard material.
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