Via NYT: Uber-dystopian novelist J. G. Ballard has died at the age of 78. He was known for his unapologetically severe stories on technology and society gone wrong and his stretching of the science fiction genre. He was also known for his abrasive/provocative/inflamatory stories often involving public figures. For example, his book that anticipated events like Princess Diana's death, "Crash," received this reaction from reviewer D. Keith Mano:

But at the time it was published, some reviewers, like D. Keith Mano, found it perverse. His review in The Times Book Review began: “ ‘Crash’ is, hands down, the most repulsive book I’ve yet to come across.” He continued: “ ‘Crash’ is well-written; credit given where due. But I could not, in conscience, recommend it.”

This Guardian UK article published Ballard's last story, about a man in a bad marriage who brought down the Tower of Pisa while his wife was atop it.