Seldom does a visionary come along with the foresight and imagination to take people to the future; Ray Bradbury is one of those visionaries. Ray Bradbury has had such an impact on the world that the full magnitude of his contribution may never be truly known. Generations have been inspired by his works, his dreams for a utopian society. About the only thing that critics cannot agree upon is whether Bradbury writes Science Fiction or Fantasy. The rift between the two genres is not easily bridged. A second rift exists between the two genres and what society views as true art. Society's view of literary art does not often include Science Fiction.
             Ray Douglas Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois on August 22, 1920 to Leonard Spalding Bradbury and Ester Marie Bradbury. Bradbury's twin brothers Leonard and Samuel were born in 1916; Samuel died in 1918, and Bradbury's sister Elizabeth was born six years later in 1926. Bradbury attended public school in Waukegan, Tucson, and Los Angeles. He discovered science fiction in Amazing Stories, a popular magazine of its day, in 1928. Bradbury wrote his first stories on butcher paper at a young age. In 1932, Bradbury performed as an amateur magician at Oddfellows Hall and American Legion. He read comics to children on radio station KGAR (Bloom 141). In 1934 in Los Angeles, Bradbury worked as a "live audience" for the Burns and Allen radio show. He acted as scriptwriter, producer, and director of the Roman Review at Los Angles High School and joined the Los Angeles Science Fiction League in 1937. He graduated from high school in 1938. In 1939, he published his own fan magazine, Futuria Fantasia, attended the World Science Fiction Convention in New York, and joined actress Laraine Day's drama group, the Wilshire Players Guild. His high school yearbook named him "headed for literary distinction" (Bloom 142).
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