Ray Bradburywas long the most influential sci-fi writer in the world, the poetic and visionary author of such classics asFahrenheit 451,The Martian Chronicles, andThe Illustrated ManBut he also lived a fascinating life outside the parameters of sci-fi, and was a masterful raconteur of his own story, as he reveals in his wide-ranging and in-depth final interview with his acclaimed biographer,Sam Weller. After moving to Los Angeles, he became an inveterate fanboy of movie stars, spending hours waiting at studio gates to get autographs. He would later get to know many of Hollywood’s most powerful figures when he became a major screenwriter, and he details here what it was like to work for legendary directors such asJohn HustonandAlfred Hitchcock. And then there are all the celebrities — from heads of state likeMikhail Gorbachevto rock stars likeDavid Bowieand the members of Kiss — who went out of their way to arrange encounters with Bradbury.But throughout that last talk, as well as the interviews collected here from earlier in his career, Bradbury constantly twists the elements of his life into a discussion of the influences and creative processes behind his remarkable developments and inventions for the literary form he mastered. Mixed with cheerful gossiping about his travels and the characters of his life, it makes for a rich reading experience and a revealing collection of interviews.The Last Interview Series:Melville House has been publishing a popular series of books called The Last Interview and Other Conversations which celebrates the heroes and innovators of art, politics and literature with a collection of interviews and conversations that span their creative lives.