Miracles of Life
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Review
‘In some cases rave reviews can be wholly sincere. Mr. Ballard, you are wonderful.’ Sunday Times
'The origins of this extraordinary and wonderful writer are now set out in this pellucid, forgiving, tranquil autobiography…this is a remarkable autobiography, treating events which most of us can barely imagine with tranquil dignity and exactness…an unforgettable farewell.' Spectator
'Brilliant and mesmerising…this wonderful, clear-sighted autobiography…has a wisdom and depth that makes you long to hug the author and say '”Thank you” and wish him well.' Daily Mail
'What this brief, modest and occasionally shattering book only glances at is the extraordinary body of work that has flowed from this remarkable life…fascinating…."Miracles of Life" also tells quite another story, unconscious and inadvertent, but finally brave in a way that elevates it to a level of greatness.' Observer
'Exquisitely written…"Miracles of Life", a subtle, restlessly enquiring work of touching humanity, is Ballard's crowning achievement.' Financial Times
'A jewel…as a writer, he can simply take the breath away.' Independent
‘Written in characteristic spare direct prose…if this is to be his final book, it is a worthy one, both as the story of a remarkable life and of an outsider trying to make sense of postwar Britain.’ The Times
Review
'He writes so well on the "surrealism of everyday life".'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 64 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a curious mixture of a book. Granted that it was written under strained and special circumstances, it is both revealing and concealing in equal measure. If you are familiar with Ballard's work and have taken an interest in him over the years, you will find nothing new here. It is, however, a joy to have it in one volume. And for all its apparent superficiality, we learn a great deal about Ballard from the structure and level of content of this work.
Nearly half the book is devoted to Ballard's first fifteen years, the time he lived in Shanghai and experienced the strange life of an expatriate community as well as internment by the Japanese. This is also the most fluent and vibrant part of the book.
It may well be that writing of his early life in his fiction, especially in Empire of the Sun, means he is well rehearsed. But it is clear these formative years are seared not just into his memory, but also his psyche. The things he saw and experienced have re-appeared time and again in his writings, sometimes filtered, but always from the same roots.
Elsewhere, there is a reticence, a shyness that produces a sketchy feeling, as if we are seeing an early draft. A pioneer of explorations into the sf of `inner space', his own inner space is closely guarded. Yet what he chooses to conceal is revealing in itself. He speaks of family life, for example, but whilst it is clear that his family was the bright sun at the centre of his universe, dimmed for a while by the sudden death of his wife, it is also clear that the rest is nobody's business but his own and theirs. I find this wonderfully refreshing - we are strangers, after all, those of us who read his books.
As a writer myself, I confess I was disappointed that Ballard did not discuss how he wrote or consider the processes by which developed certain styles, especially his concentrated novels. I would love to have known more of those early days and the discussions he had with other writers of the so-called `New Wave'. On the other hand I am not altogether surprised. Whilst undoubtedly a highly intelligent man and a skilled and innovative writer, he has never been one of the `literati', self-dissecting and self-obsessed. His work must (and does) speak for itself - with a voice that is robust, fluent, exciting, innovative, often tackling the controversial, but always worth listening to.
Nearly half the book is devoted to Ballard's first fifteen years, the time he lived in Shanghai and experienced the strange life of an expatriate community as well as internment by the Japanese. This is also the most fluent and vibrant part of the book.
It may well be that writing of his early life in his fiction, especially in Empire of the Sun, means he is well rehearsed. But it is clear these formative years are seared not just into his memory, but also his psyche. The things he saw and experienced have re-appeared time and again in his writings, sometimes filtered, but always from the same roots.
Elsewhere, there is a reticence, a shyness that produces a sketchy feeling, as if we are seeing an early draft. A pioneer of explorations into the sf of `inner space', his own inner space is closely guarded. Yet what he chooses to conceal is revealing in itself. He speaks of family life, for example, but whilst it is clear that his family was the bright sun at the centre of his universe, dimmed for a while by the sudden death of his wife, it is also clear that the rest is nobody's business but his own and theirs. I find this wonderfully refreshing - we are strangers, after all, those of us who read his books.
As a writer myself, I confess I was disappointed that Ballard did not discuss how he wrote or consider the processes by which developed certain styles, especially his concentrated novels. I would love to have known more of those early days and the discussions he had with other writers of the so-called `New Wave'. On the other hand I am not altogether surprised. Whilst undoubtedly a highly intelligent man and a skilled and innovative writer, he has never been one of the `literati', self-dissecting and self-obsessed. His work must (and does) speak for itself - with a voice that is robust, fluent, exciting, innovative, often tackling the controversial, but always worth listening to.
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Quite simply, this was a joy to read.
Ballard tells of his childhood in Shanghai, internment there under the Japanese, his university years in England, right through to his writing career and the joys and tragedies he's experienced as a father and husband, and his love of family life.
What makes this book appealing is that it's not only well written and direct, but also that Ballard tells his story with an honesty and poignancy that is so rare in many autobiographies today.
This isn't about Ballard the writer, but about the circumstances and events that shaped and formed his personal values and beliefs.
You don't have to have read Ballard's fiction to enjoy this book either (although his Shanghai reminisces provide a fascinating insight into Empire of the Sun, the novel based on his internment experiences).
What stands out above all else is his enjoyment of childhood and subsequent selfless devotion and enjoyment of family through all the joys and tragedy he experienced.
His life affirming views on childhood, fatherhood, and single parenthood set this book apart from those hundreds of other autobiographies available that only tell of how individuals found (or lost) their fame or fortune.
Ballard tells of his childhood in Shanghai, internment there under the Japanese, his university years in England, right through to his writing career and the joys and tragedies he's experienced as a father and husband, and his love of family life.
What makes this book appealing is that it's not only well written and direct, but also that Ballard tells his story with an honesty and poignancy that is so rare in many autobiographies today.
This isn't about Ballard the writer, but about the circumstances and events that shaped and formed his personal values and beliefs.
You don't have to have read Ballard's fiction to enjoy this book either (although his Shanghai reminisces provide a fascinating insight into Empire of the Sun, the novel based on his internment experiences).
What stands out above all else is his enjoyment of childhood and subsequent selfless devotion and enjoyment of family through all the joys and tragedy he experienced.
His life affirming views on childhood, fatherhood, and single parenthood set this book apart from those hundreds of other autobiographies available that only tell of how individuals found (or lost) their fame or fortune.
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I couldn't put this down. Ballard writes about his time in Shanghai and makes it seem as normal as my own childhood. Then he returns to the UK - a country he has never been to - and feels a complete stranger.
Ballard's fiction is offbeat and surreal, but completely original - and this autobiography is almost an explanation of where it all came from. Fans of Ballard will find this almost an extension to his fiction.
I could not put this down. The writing is evocative without being wordy, and every page is filled with interesting thoughts.
Ballard's fiction is offbeat and surreal, but completely original - and this autobiography is almost an explanation of where it all came from. Fans of Ballard will find this almost an extension to his fiction.
I could not put this down. The writing is evocative without being wordy, and every page is filled with interesting thoughts.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Miracles of Life by JG Ballard
The book arrived on time and in good condition. The story is of the author's experience of his childhood growing up in Shanghi at the out break of war. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cat
Miracles indeed
Beautifully written and more overtly heart-felt than his fiction (which I adore) which usually maintains a studiously detached note. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Pensato
Interesting Childhood Years, Otherwise Booze, Restaurants and Name...
A somewhat short book, considering that half the book covers his childhood years. It's well written, but the impression I got was that from 1970 he had a life of being a father,... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Johns
Wonderful old fashioned book
You can almost smell the places that he is describing and feel a little bit of his incredible life from the book. What a wonderful writer and a great story.
Published 5 months ago by B. Lane
Expect to be shaken, compelled and pleased
This is an utterly compelling book, I write this review after beginning the book yesterday and being unable to do much else other than read it until its finish today, and did not... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Lark
Very interesting
This was a fascinating and well written memoire.
It is pretty short and certainly isn't comprehensive when it come to Ballard's writing career. Read more
It is pretty short and certainly isn't comprehensive when it come to Ballard's writing career. Read more
Published 10 months ago by The Emperor
you just don't see it
Perhaps you have to be be english and of Ballard's generation (more or less) to pick up on the power of this deceptively simple book. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mrs. Patricia M. Reid
Superb
I have read the late J.G ballards novels Empire of The Sun, The Kindness of Women , Rushing to Paradise, Cocaine Nights , also the surreal Vermillion Sands. Read more
Published on 12 April 2010 by R. Pieters
Expect the Ballardian
Yes this is shorter than most autobiographies and no, it doesn't explain every event in his life but this is a very J.G. Ballard book and I loved it for that. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by Sir Bob
Degrees Of Separation?
I had never heard of the author until I saw the film version of Empire of the Sun, perhaps his most popular work. Apparently, he is an eminent, if not pre-eminent British writer. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2009 by Ian Millard
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