Archon, 1996

To mark its entry into the new millennium (sic), as well as its second half-century, The National Book Foundation today announced that Ray Bradbury--America's most original practitioner of science fiction and a lifelong opponent of censorship--will be the recipient of this year's National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

The Medal will be presented to Bradbury at National Book Awards 2000, the annual Gala Awards Ceremony and Dinner, to be held this year on November 15 at the New York Marriott Marquis. Steve Martin, who last year added Master of Ceremonies to his many talents, will once again serve as host for the evening.

In making the announcement, Neil Baldwin, the Foundation's executive director, said, "The fact that Ray Bradbury is the recipient of the Foundation's first Medal of the new millennium is significant and fitting. He may be known primarily as a science fiction writer; however, Bradbury has had tremendous impact on every genre of writing, and since the 1930's he has been one of America's great literary talents. It is his impressive - and wide-ranging -- corpus of work which our Board of Directors will honor in November."

Bradbury is the 12th recipient of The National Book Foundation Medal. Past recipients include Toni Morrison, David McCullough, Eudora Welty, Studs Terkel and John Updike.

In addition to Bradbury's honor, the November 15th ceremony will feature the announcement of the four Winners of National Book Awards 2000 -- representing the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature. The highly anticipated list of 20 Finalists will be announced on Thursday, October 12.

Novelist, short-story writer, essayist, playwright, children's book author, screenwriter and poet, 80-year-old Ray Bradbury was first published in 1938, when his story, "Hollerbochen's Dilemma," appeared in Imagination!, an amateur fan magazine. His reputation as a leading science fiction writer was established with the publication of The Martian Chronicles in 1950. Since then, the other "crown jewels" in the Bradbury opus include The October Country (1955), Dandelion Wine (1957), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962), The Illustrated Man (1951), and Fahrenheit 451 (1953). Among his numerous awards are the PEN Center West Award, the O. Henry Memorial Award, an Emmy Award (for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree), the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Maggie, and is actively writing and lecturing.

"I am delighted that the National Book Foundation has chosen a science fiction author for this distinguished award. Ray Bradbury is truly one of the greats of our genre. The humanity of his work indeed transcends genres, and speaks to some of the deepest issues in this cosmos."
-- Paul Levinson, President, SFWA

Photo copyright Dave Truesdale.
Courtesy of MidAmerican Fan Photo Archive.

Posted September-25-2000