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Long before the Roald Dahl/Ian Fleming controversy...

posted a year ago by stevewyzard (1339)
11 replies | jump to latest

...Ray Bradbury had a chapter of his 1950 book The Martian Chronicles removed for being "problematic". Starting with the 1997 Avon edition, "Way in the Middle of the Air" no longer appears, and as Bradbury was still alive then, I'm led to believe he understood (maybe even agreed with) the reasons for its removal.

That being said, the disappearance of the chapter doesn't hurt the book's overall narrative flow, as the novel was actually assembled (in what is known as a 'fix-up') from a large group of pre-existing short stories. It should also be mentioned that by 1997, there were literally millions of copies of the complete book in publication by a multitude of publishers, so it should not prove to be difficult to find for those who are interested.

[–] Ace_Spade (9458) a year ago

There is a world of difference between an author deciding to alter his or her work and a company bowdlerizing it.

Also, Ray Bradbury made his opinion on censorship for the sake of kindness very, very, very clear in the Coda in Fahrenheit 451.

https://katherinesmithth.weebly.com/uploads/9/7/1/7/9717809/coda_from_ray_bradbury_for_fahrenheit_451.pdf

[–] stevewyzard (1339) a year ago

I'd never read this before...thanks for sharing it!

[–] Ace_Spade (9458) a year ago

I've re-read it a lot. His vitriol is palpable and his cause is admirable. I love it.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (73690) a year ago

Excellent novel, I’ve read it a few times. Bradbury had a keen eye for bullshit and called it out.

[–] agentalbert (2553) a year ago

Interesting. I read Martian Chronicles years ago, but surely after 1997. I'll have to check my copy. What is "problematic" (I hate that term) about the chapter?

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12890) a year ago

"Problematic" is the new newspeak word for "snowflakes hate it."

[–] pacersoldaway (47) a year ago

So you believe that he agreed with the removal of the story based on the speculation that you have not found a comment of his on it online?

[–] MCguy (949) a year ago

This what Wikis says about that chapter:
As 1999 approached, the fictional future written into the first edition was in jeopardy, so the work was revised and a 1997 edition was published to advance all of the dates by 31 years (with the plot running from 2030 to 2057 instead of 1999 to 2026). The 1997 edition added "November 2033: The Fire Balloons" and "May 2034: The Wilderness", and omitted "Way in the Middle of the Air", a story considered less topical in 1997 than 1950.

Less topical is hardly the same as problematic. If you have credible documentation to support your claim, please post it. Thank you.

[–] stevewyzard (1339) a year ago

https://ncac.org/censorship-news-articles/censorship-and-the-martian-chronicles-by-ray-bradbury

https://disgruntledharadrim.com/2012/06/07/black-people-on-mars-race-and-ray-bradbury/

https://nevalalee.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/astounding-stories-10-way-in-the-middle-of-the-air

[–] MCguy (949) a year ago

You claim was "Ray Bradbury had a chapter of his 1950 book The Martian Chronicles removed for being "problematic"".

These articles state that some people have a problem with the chapter, perhaps the same type that think Blazing Saddles is racist. I didn't see where the publishers or Bradbury removed the chapter for being problematic.

Regardless, thanks for the links.

[–] liscarkat (17125) a year ago

I'm lucky to have an edition from the '70s. The part about black people in space is one of my favorites. Hilarious!