J.G. Ballard, a novelist and short story writer, is renowned for creating twisted and altered images of the worlds he inhabits. His unusual works, which deal with bizarre exaggerations of reality and frequently show how social conventions are breaking down, are difficult to classify.
These disconcerting, verging-on-realistic sights frequently sparked debate. Rather than writing science fiction set in a far-off future, Ballard said that his own works were set in “a kind of visionary present”.
As we consider generative AI producing music, writing books, and producing art now, Ballard’s vision is once again evident.
Ballard was advised to write about “what is just about to happen in a given community” by novelist Vanora Bennett in a 2004 interview. When asked what “kind of real-life event” served as the inspiration for the concepts in his novels, Ballard said:
I just have a strange sense in my bones that something strange is happening, so I write a novel to explore it, searching for the hidden wiring and the unconscious logic that lies beneath the surface. It appears as though there are numerous odd lights, and I’m trying to locate the fuse box and wiring.
