Empire Of The Sun author JG Ballard dies

Tributes have been paid to JG Ballard, the award-winning writer whose novels such as Crash were made into Hollywood movies. Fellow wordsmith Iain Sinclair said the literary talent behind 15 novels was ahead of his time.  

"He was one of the first to take up the whole idea of ecological catastrophe. He was fascinated by celebrity early on and the cult of the star," said his friend.  

The author's most acclaimed novel Empire Of The Sun, based on his childhood in a Japanese prison camp in China, was adapted for the big screen in 1984 by Steven Spielberg and starred a young Christian Bale.  


Mr Ballard, who had been ill for many years with prostate cancer, died aged 78 on Sunday morning.

Photo: © Rex