Exploring a carnival near Lake Michigan, Ray Bradbury sets his sights on Mr. Electrico, a striking magician whose novelty act is electrocution, as his stage name hints. Every night, Mr. Electrico straps himself into an electric chair and braces for the surge of energy, much to the delight of carnival-goers. Holding a sword tingling with electricity, he stops in front of Bradbury, a young 12-year-old guided by a heady mix of curiosity and wonder. The magician knights Bradbury and declares, “Live forever!”
This astonishing moment in Bradbury’s childhood triggered the famed author’s future career in writing, according to his own article recounting the event.
The bizarre encounter is appropriate for the writer, who took the words “Live forever” to heart and celebrated his 90th birthday on Sunday.
The day kicked off a series of celebratory events, as the city of Los Angeles recently proclaimed Aug. 22-28 Ray Bradbury Week, thanks to the efforts of novelist Steven Paul Leiva, a longtime friend of Bradbury’s.
Working with Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti and Garcetti’s senior adviser Heather Repenning, Leiva negotiated an official tribute to Bradbury’s lengthy career and footprint on Los Angeles.
“I said, ‘Ray Bradbury is too big for a day. I’d like a month, but I’ll take a week,’” Leiva said.
Bradbury’s career has included many classic novels, notably “Fahrenheit 451” and “The Martian Chronicles.”
“I just felt the city needed to recognize this milestone,” Leiva said.
UCLA is joining in the celebration with an online tribute to the renowned author, who famously used the basement of Powell Library in the late 1940s to find some valuable quiet for his writing. Though Bradbury did not attend college, he declared libraries his version of education, Leiva said.
“Essentially, Ray loves libraries, and he went to the library one day, and he saw (Powell) had typewriters for rent, 10 cents an hour,” Leiva said.
With $9.80 in dimes and nine days, Bradbury finished “The Fireman,” which later became the classic “Fahrenheit 451,” a novel about controversial issues including censorship.
“I just think how appropriate that a seminal book by him about the importance of books and the freedom of thought was written in the basement of Powell Library,” said Lawrence Lokman, associate vice chancellor of university communications and public outreach.
Lokman’s team produced the UCLA Spotlight online tribute, which includes writings from and videos featuring Bradbury.
“He has a very strong and devoted following, and so we expect it to be inspirational for people,” Lokman said. “It was nice to be able to create something like a website that helps build community within and outside the campus.”
Annual nods to the author, such as celebratory events at bookstores, have been occurring for years, but this year is the first that many celebrations are tied together as part of an official Ray Bradbury Week, said UCLA spokeswoman Elizabeth Boatright-Simon.
Leiva was single-handedly responsible for organizing the events of Ray Bradbury Week, which include stage readings and a variety of screenings.
“Ray, who inside is no more than 12 years old, was very, very excited,” Leiva said about approaching Bradbury with the week of activities.
Lokman and university representatives are similarly excited about UCLA’s online tribute, which offers site visitors the opportunity to write birthday messages to the author via Facebook.
“He has a lot to teach, and he inspires a lot of people, so how great to be able to participate and have UCLA play a big role in his history and literary history in that way,” Lokman said.