Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS (Sri Lankabhimanya Arthur Charles Clarke) was born in the English Coastal town of Minehead, Somerset on the 16th December 1917 and died at the age of 91 on the 19th March 2008. He was best known for his science fiction, but also wrote science texts, and was known as an inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.
He most famous piece of science fiction writing is generally considered to be the screenplay for the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey which he co-wrote.It was considered by the American Film Institute to be one of the most influential films of all time. Over the course of his career he picked up a number of Hugo and Nebula awards, along with a large readership, making him into one of the towering figures of the field, and he more recently co-wrote many novels with Stephen Baxter who is well known for his ‘Hard SF’ and who has gone on to co-write with many other notables including Sir Terry Pratchett.
For many years Clarke, along with Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov, were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction.
The oldest of four children, Clarke was always fascinated with science and space, and was a lifelong proponent of space travel. While still a teenager, he joined the British Interplanetary Society and in 1945, he proposed a satellite communication system (he did not invent geostationary satellites as many claim, merely how to use them more efficiently for communication) an idea that, in 1963, won him the Franklin Institute's Stuart Ballantine Medal. Following World War 2 (where he served in the RAF) he served as the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society from 1946–47 and again in 1951–53.
Clarke was also a science writer, who helped to popularise the idea of space travel and had a gift for predicting the future. Following the war, he studied at King's College, London and graduated with honours in Physics and Mathematics. In 1961 he won a Kalinga Prize (award given by UNESCO for popularising science), and all of these achievements eventually earned him the moniker "prophet of the space age".
In 1956, Clarke emigrated to Sri Lanka to pursue his interest in scuba diving, and he discovered the underwater ruins of the ancient Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee. In later years, Clarke augmented his fame and interest in the paranormal, by being the host of several television shows such as Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World.
He lived in Sri Lanka until his death of a heart attack in 2008, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. He was also later awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya, in 2005.
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Greats of Science Fiction
Non-FictionThis collection of writer profiles aims to showcase the history and lives behind some of the greatest Science Fiction writers the genre has seen. From the early 'greats' and 'masters' of the Science Fiction world to some of the 'genre shakers' who h...
