JG Ballard

It is a sad day as we here that JG Ballard has died at the age of 78 of prostate cancer. From 'Empire of the sun' through to 'Crash' and his memoirs last year, his apocolyptic take on the world made him one of the greatest writers of the late twentieth century. He also made multi storey car parks in Watford seem wonderful. In todays' branded, toothpaste tubed formulaic world of bling publishing, his writing may never have seen the light of day. Long may independent publishers take risks and bring writers with a different take of the world to the bookshelves.