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Miracles of Life: Shanghai to Shepperton : an Autobiography
 
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Miracles of Life: Shanghai to Shepperton : an Autobiography (Hardcover)

by J.G. Ballard (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd; illustrated edition edition (4 Feb 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007270720
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007270729
  • Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 16,550 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #11 in  Books > Fiction > Cult Authors > Ballard, J.G.
    #45 in  Books > Biography > Novelists, Poets & Playwrights
    #77 in  Books > Biography > War & Espionage

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Product Description

Review
'A particular delight of this lyrical autobiography lies in spotting the landscapes and events that appear subtly reconfigured, in Ballard's fiction.' Observer 'Critics' Picks for 2008' 'The long--awaited memoirs of one of the most interesting British writers.' Sunday Times 'Picks for 2008' 'Unobtrusively well--written!and fascinating.' Literary Review '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...Ballard has carried out Matthew Arnold's imprecation to "see life steadily and see it whole". This is an unforgettable farewell.' The 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.' The 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.' The Independent 'J.G. Ballard's memoir may be short but it is long on compassion, humour and insight...it is infused with a tremendous generosity of spirit.' Tatler 'His prose has clarity and concision. He is mordant and brutally direct...unexpected and funny...fascinating stuff...the overwhelming impression gained is of the man's great generosity.' GQ

Independent
'A jewel...as a writer, he can simply take the breath away.'

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully told, 18 Mar 2008
By Pilgrim (Scotland) - See all my reviews
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.
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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and beautifully written autobiography, 23 Feb 2008
By Chris Pearson (Gloucestershire, UK) - See all my reviews
  
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.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, 23 Feb 2008
By The Soft Machine Operator (COVENTRY, WARWICKSHIRE United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Great start, slow --and repetitious--second half
I found Ballard's description of his childhood in Shanghai to be quite gripping. It gave me a much better sense of why the Communists had such great appeal for the masses and why... Read more
Published 27 days ago by David J. Chojnacki

4.0 out of 5 stars miracles of life
If you've enjoyed Kindness of Women and Empire of the Sun, then you'll enjoy his last book.
Published 1 month ago by A. M. Cumming

4.0 out of 5 stars Fitting summation for an extraordinary writer
Fittingly it turns out that J.G Ballard's last book is a summation of an extraordinary life and a unique body of work. Read more
Published 2 months ago by N. Megahey

4.0 out of 5 stars A great writer, a simple biography
I have long admired the work of JG Ballard and found this brief book a great joy which so well reflected the author's modesty and humility. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Gerry McCaffrey

2.0 out of 5 stars Ballard's Readers Deserve Better than a Sound Bite "Autobiography"
J. G. Ballard was one of the most interesting writers of his time. It was impossible to pinpoint him. Read more
Published 4 months ago by John Fitzpatrick

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, moving, heartbreaking
To those of us who know and love his work, J G Ballard is a national treasure, a stunningly imaginative author of works such as "Crash", "Empire of the Sun", and "Concrete Island"... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Peter Lee

5.0 out of 5 stars Shanghai. The good old days.
An excellent book.Especially part one as I too was born in China and brought up in shanghai.
Although part two was also interesting , the author came to Britain in 1946... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Don Manuel

5.0 out of 5 stars Miracles of Life
A great insight into the mind of an incredible man. The best autobiography I have ever read. Writers with talent like like Ballard's are rare, he and his imagination will be... Read more
Published 5 months ago by F. P. Hellyer

5.0 out of 5 stars The miracle of Mr Ballard
I read my first Ballard stories about 16 years ago and was mesmerised by his slightly off-kilter worlds. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Damian Patrick Kelly

4.0 out of 5 stars great memoir
l have never read a Ballard book,but found this auto-biography very enjoyable.His narrative is simple and direct,yet it delivers with vigour and zest.This is really two books. Read more
Published 7 months ago by D. Glowacki

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