[UPDATE: This story has been corrected to note the previous publications of Ballard’s story.]

The New Yorker has published a short story by science-fiction icon J.G. Ballard, who passed away on April 19. Originally published in French for Etoile Mecanique in 1981 and later in English for Ambit (1984) and Interzone (1996), the piece entitled “The Autobiography of J.G.B.” tells the story of a man named “B” who wakes up one morning to find that the people of England, France, and possibly the whole world, have disappeared without a trace. Carolyn Kellogg on the L.A. Times book blog notes how the story seems somewhat incomplete:

It feels to me like he got up in the middle of the story and never came back to finish it. But then again, Ballard was always messing with readers’ expectations “ maybe that’s exactly what he wanted.

Although the story’s ending is rather abrupt, the captivating quality of this short piece shows how Ballard could create a realistic fantasy world and leave readers asking for more. Read the story here.