An ailing J.G. Ballard looks back at his life

J.G. Ballard is the greatest science-fiction writer of all time, simply because the futures he predicted came true. We’re living in the Ballardian Age, where ad-driven obsessions, petrol-fueled fantasies and “fictions of every kind” comprise the true reality. Ballard understands that inner space is the final frontier, that the intersection of psychology and advanced technology dictates everything humankind might become. “The Subliminal Man” is the best story ever about advertising and consumerism; its mountains of discarded household appliances are potent symbols of modern life.