Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 (1953) is a dystopian fiction novel by Ray Bradbury that was originally published as a shorter novella in the February 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.

Related Topics:
1953 - Dystopian - Fiction - Ray Bradbury - Novella - Galaxy Science Fiction

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is set in a world where books are banned and critical thought is suppressed; the central character, Guy Montag, is employed as a "fireman" (which, in this case, means "book burner"). 451 degrees Fahrenheit (about 233 Celsius) is stated as "the temperature at which book-paper catches fire, and burns ...".

Related Topics:
Banned - Guy Montag - Book burner - Degrees Fahrenheit - Celsius - The temperature at which book-paper catches fire, and burns ...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The novel reflects several major concerns of the time of its writing: the censorship and suppression of thought and ideas exercised in the United States in the 1950s as the result of McCarthyism; the burnings of books in Nazi Germany starting in 1933; and the horrible consequences of an explosion of a nuclear weapon.

Related Topics:
Censorship - United States - 1950s - McCarthyism - Nazi Germany - 1933 - Nuclear weapon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One particularly ironic circumstance is that unbeknownst to Bradbury his publisher released a censored edition in 1967 that eliminated the words "damn" and "hell" for distribution to schools. Later editions with all words restored include an afterword from the author describing this event and further thoughts on censorship and "well-meaning" revisionism.

Related Topics:
1967 - Afterword

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~