Bradbury or Hemingway?

I think that Bradbury will stand the strongest long-term influence over future literature, culture and human development.

Bradbury has not only influenced future writing, but has been influenced by the techniclogical advancements of this century. Science fiction is an interesting genre, in that the author is only restricted by the conventions he sets up for his world. For example if, in the world of the book, the author chooses to have monkeys that can fly or animals that can talk, he can as long as it stays within the confines of his own rules. Though not new to Bradbury (Jules Verne comes to mind), creating conventions outside the realm of realism is what seperates him from Hemingway and makes him a stronger influence.

Hemingway, on the other hand, wrote about his experiences. Though some argue that he did it well (I am not a fan personally), his novels are based in realism and the approach is not unique. He excelled at his craft rather than stretched the boundaires of his craft as Bradbury did. Hemingway reflected and commented on the experiences rather than creating experiences.

One of the major flaws of Bradbury as an author is that the genre of science fiction and fantasy is not always accessible. It asks the reader to step outside of the realm of realism and into a new world with new rules. This can be challenging and uncomfortable to some readers. Despite this, I think the prolifierations of science fiction and fantasy novels in recent years is an example of how strong his influence is. This genre cannot only reflect on present day experiences, but can suggest and influence future ideas.

One of the major flaws of Hemingway is that his experiences influenced his stories and, though eloquently expressed, are just that -- his experiences. You are forced to relate to the work from his persepctive. As a female, I often have trouble doing this. His novels seem to take certain things for granted, experiences and their outcomes, the way he sees the world, as if everyone sees the world that way. In reality, his experiences and the way he sees the world is uniquely male. This isn't his fault, since he is male and he can only see the world as a male does. It is, however, restrictive to those readers who do not see the world from that same perspective. It would be like asking a male to truly relate to the Virginia Wolfe's Orlando or Edith Wharton's Buchaneers. They can understand and sympathize, but never truly empathize.

This is true of all realism as, at its core, it relies on the reader to put themselves in the author's shoes and relate to the characters in the story from their perspective. Science fiction and fantasy do not restrict quite as much this way, because the world created is not one we have to relate to as much as one we have to buy into.

It is like comparing apples and oranges

Hemmingway lived a great life, and wrote it down. He was one of those people who believed art was what you lived, and his writing was merely the shadow that his life cast. Post WWII his influence on American literature dimmed somewhat and he went out of fashion for a long time.

Bradbury, well it is hard to pin down a lot of Science Fiction origins. There are writers that pre-date Tolkien, just as Bradbury would have been influenced by many of the great (and pulp) SF authors of the early 20th century.

Bradbury falls in the school of Science Fiction writing that says SF writing must say something significant. THat characters are caught up in events that are part of the whole of society. This is pulp convention, rather than a literary one.

Ray Bradbury gets my vote, because he is so versatile. He has written screenplays, short stories, for radio, for TV, for comics, and he is able to switch genres very easily. He was John Huston's first choice as screenwriter for the movie version of Moby Dick, even though Hemingway was still around!

The problem with Hemingway is that so much of his work is existentialist in nature. His characters are at war with themselves and the world, which does promote good conflict, but often leaves the reader weary. By contrast, Bradbury makes the reader think. He successfully blends art, irony, and literary insight through his characters and the settings.