Perspectives were very different about "A piece of wood" : sad, optimistic, idealistic, I liked it, I didn't...

This american writer was a prolific short stories writer but also wrote poems, essays, plays... His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man. He inspired generations of readers to dream, think and create. He lived until 91 and was an optimistic man : "In my later years I have looked in the mirror each day and found a happy person staring back. Occasionally I wonder why I can be so happy. The answer is that every day of my life I've worked only for myself and for the joy that comes from writing and creating. The image in my mirror is not optimistic, but the result of optimal behavior".