SOURCE: Brigg, Peter. “Early Short Fiction, 1956-1969.” In J. G. Ballard, pp. 19-42. Mercer Island, WA: Starmont House Inc., 1985.

In the following essay, Brigg surveys the “antecedents” or influences and stylistic forms of Ballard's early short fiction.

From 1956 to 1969, Ballard published over eighty short stories and four novels. The bulk of the stories first appeared in magazines ranging from Science Fantasy to Encounter, then reappeared in nine general collections plus two thematic volumes: Vermilion Sands (1971) and The Atrocity Exhibition (1970; Love and Napalm: Export U.S.A. in its 1972 American version). Predictably the early stories tended to follow the conventions of the day, as Ballard sought publication by fictionalizing an original and often futuristic idea. His medical training and work from 1956 on the editorial staff of Chemistry and Industry gave him considerable subject matter and provided current scientific language to give the tales “realism.” Ballard's early intentions and methods...