The Illuminated Man: an unconventional portrait of JG Ballard
by agronaut on 4/22/2026, 8:24:05 PM
Comments
by: ecliptik
One of my favorite authors and highly recommend his short stories [1] and the "ambiguous apocalypse" trilogy - The Drowned World, The Burning World, and The Crystal World.<p>As one of collections intros said, Ballard is science fiction, but Inner Space, not Outer Space.<p>1. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Complete_Short_Stories_of_J._G._Ballard:_Volume_1" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Complete_Short_Stories_of_...</a>
4/22/2026, 9:26:26 PM
by: pnw
It seems like the best authors - JG Ballard in this instance - are somehow resistant to modern biographers. Even the least worst Phillip K Dick biography (Divine Invasions) is over 30 years old!
4/22/2026, 10:25:13 PM
by: nickdothutton
A favourite of mine. Do please check the interviews with him on youtube. Some authors try to show you the far future, he tried to show us the next 15 minutes.
4/22/2026, 10:01:13 PM
by: antirez
Loved High rise, Concrete island, Empire of the sun. Also make sure to read this: <a href="https://www.jgballard.ca/uncollected_work/what_i_believe.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.jgballard.ca/uncollected_work/what_i_believe.htm...</a>
4/22/2026, 9:38:04 PM
by: dbcooper
"The 60 Minute Zoom" is a good short story to start with.
4/22/2026, 9:53:45 PM
by: languagehacker
I absolutely love JG Ballard. Crash is a classic, and High Rise is a fun one.
4/22/2026, 9:17:14 PM
by: andrehacker
Am I the only one that misread the title and expected to see something about the reclusive Bellard ?
4/22/2026, 10:28:45 PM
by: fallinditch
I thought I was broad-minded enough to read Crash - I wasn't. I did enjoy other Ballard books.
4/22/2026, 9:11:26 PM