Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, in 1920. Growing up during the Great Depression, Bradbury began writing at the age of 11. Unable to join the military in World War II due to his poor eyesight, he began publishing science fiction stories. In 1947 he married Marguerite McClure and they had four daughters. His career as a writer included such notable works as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and I Sing The Body Electric. Primarily known for his successes in science fiction, Bradbury also worked on various horror and mystery stories, as well as screenplays and television scripts. During his lifetime he received numerous awards, including a Pulitzer in 2007. Bradbury passed away in 2012.

Harold Bloom is Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. He has written more than sixty books, including Cleopatra: I Am Fire and Air, Falstaff: Give Me Life, The Western Canon, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, and How to Read and Why. He is a MacArthur Prize fellow, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the recipient of many awards, including the Academy's Gold Medal for Criticism. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.