JG Ballard Dead at 78

Another literary giant, one who has been ill for a number of years, is gone. JG Ballard, who is probably best known for Empire of the Sun and the more recent Crash, died this morning in the U.K. of prostate cancer according to Sky News.

Ballard was a controversial writer and many readers found his work, especially books like Crash, to be shocking, even disgusting. I don't consider myself to be a fan of his work but I will always remember the experience of reading Empire of the Sun, his personal story about a little boy captured in Shanghai by the Japanese during World War II. Ballard was 12 years old when captured and placed in the camp where he would be held for the next three years.

JG Ballard will be long remembered.