J G Ballard dies aged 78
J G BallardControversial author dies following long illness
20 April 2009
The author J G Ballard, died yesterday (19 April 2009) aged 78 after a long illness.
His Booker-shortlisted novel, Empire of the Sun, was a fictional account of his childhood in a Japanese prison camp in China. The novel was later made into the Oscar-nominated film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Christian Bale and John Malkovich.
Ballard grew up amongst the expatriate community in Shanghai. During World War II, at the age of 12, he was interned with his family for three years in a camp run by the Japanese.
Ballard was the author of 15 novels and scores of short stories and was often referred to as a science fiction writer though he said his books were instead "picturing the psychology of the future".
Ballard's other novels include Crash, the controversial novel depicting the sexual desires stimulated by car crashes, later brought to the screen by director David Cronenberg.
Tributes, including those from writers Iain Sinclair and Toby Litt, can be read at www.ballardian.com .
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