Ray Bradbury is known as one of America's most noteable creative genuises. He is the author of several books, one of which
is The Martian Chronicles. It describes an attempt by the humans of
earth to conquer and colonize Mars, and the mysterious Martians' attempts to keep the intruders from doing it. As the earthlings supplant the last remnants of the Martian culture, they are witnesses to a massive
nuclear war on Earth. The Martian Chronicles is an allegory for man's moral blindness in the face of manifest destiny and the new frontier. The book also reveals some of America's prevailing anxieties in the early 1950's: the threat of nuclear war, the longing for a simpler life, reactions against racism and censorship, and fear of foreign political powers.On August 22, 1920, Ray Douglas Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, USA. His parents gave him the middle name Douglas, after the actor, Douglas Fairbanks. Unlike Douglas Fairbanks, he never lived up to the reputation as a swashbuckling adventurer.His greatest adventures were in his imagination. Other works of Ray Bradbury include 'From the Dust Returned,' 'One More for the Road,' 'Dandelion Wine,' 'Something Wicked this Way Comes,' and 'I Sing the Body Electric.'