The American author, Ray Bradbury, was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois. The third son of Leonard Spaulding Bradbury and Esther Marie Moberg Bradbury, his life was steeped in a world of magic, circuses, and fantastical imaginings. His fascination with these elements, instilled by childhood experiences, significantly shaped his later literature. Bradbury’s extended family loved Halloween and held elaborate celebrations, inspiring tales like “Homecoming” and “Uncle Einar.”

Bradbury developed a passion for storytelling at a young age. At age 11, he began writing horror stories inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. By 1934, he and his family relocated to Los Angeles, where he received a toy typewriter. Bradbury became a member of the Los Angeles Science Fiction League in 1937, publishing his science-fiction fan magazine, Futuria Fantasia. His formal education concluded in 1938, but he continued to educate himself in libraries and at his typewriter.

The pivotal moment in Bradbury’s career occurred in 1941 with the publication of his short story “Pendulum.” The subsequent years saw him contributing prolifically to periodicals, and in 1947, he married Marguerite McClure. The same year, Bradbury compiled his best materials into Dark Carnival, his maiden short story collection.

Bradbury transitioned from weird and macabre stories to philosophical science fiction, influenced by writers such as Jules Verne, H.