Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke dies aged 90

Science fiction author
Arthur C. Clarke dies aged 90
Lech Mintowt-Czyz and Steve Bird
From Times Online

Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction writer, has died aged 90 in his adopted home of Sri Lanka, it was confirmed tonight.

Clarke, who had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome since the 1960s and sometimes used a wheelchair, died at 1:30am after suffering breathing problems, his personal secretary Rohan De Silva said.

“Sir Arthur passed away a short while ago at the Apollo Hospital [in Colombo]. He had a cardio-respiratory attack,” he said.

His valet, W. K. M. Dharmawardena, said that funeral arrangements would be finalised when his close family returned to the island from Australia.

Mr Dharmawardena said that Clarke’s condition had begun to deteriorate in recent weeks and he had been in hospital for four days.

The visionary author of more than 70 books, who was nominated for a Nobel Prize after predicting the existence of satellites, was most famous for his short story "The Sentinel", which was expanded into the novel that was later adapted for Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey".

He was also credited with inventing the concept of communications satellites in 1945, decades before they became a reality.

Clarke was the last surviving member of what was sometimes known as the "Big Three" of science fiction, alongside Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.

The astronomer Sir Patrick Moore said that his friend was a “great visionary, brilliant science-fiction writer and great forecaster”.

“He said there would be a man on the Moon by 1970, while I said 1980 — and he was right,” he said.

“He was ahead of his time in so many ways. I’m very, very sad that he’s gone."

The pair met at the British Interplanetary Society in the 1930s and became friends. Sir Patrick said he spoke to the author a few weeks ago and was concerned about his health.

The son of an English farming family, Clarke was born in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, England on December 16, 1917.

His father died when he was 13. After attending schools in his home county, Arthur Clarke moved to London in 1936. There he pursued his early interest in space sciences by joining the British Interplanetary Society. He started to contribute to the BIS Bulletin and began to write science fiction.

With the onset of World War II he joined the RAF, eventually becoming an officer in charge of the first radar talk-down equipment, the Ground Controlled Approach, during its experimental trials. Later, his only non-science-fiction novel, Glide Path, was based on this work.

In 1945, the UK periodical magazine “Wireless World” published his landmark technical paper "Extra-terrestrial Relays" in which he first set out the principles of satellite communication with satellites in geostationary orbits, a speculation that was realised 25 years later. He was paid £15 for the article.

During the evolution of his discovery, he worked with scientists and engineers in the USA in the development of spacecraft and launch systems, and addressed the United Nations during their deliberations on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Today, the geostationary orbit at 36,000 kilometres above the Equator is named The Clarke Orbit by the International Astronomical Union.

Clarke is best known as a visionary science fiction writer.

The first story he sold professionally was "Rescue Party", written in March 1945 and appearing in "Astounding Science" in May 1946. He went on to become a prolific writer of science fiction, renowned worldwide with his break coming when "The Sentinel", was noticed by Kubrick .

In 1964 he started to work with the noted film producer on a science fiction movie script. Four years later, he shared an Oscar nomination with Kubrick at the Hollywood Academy Awards for the film version of “2001: A Space Odyssey”.

In television, Clarke worked alongside Walter Cronkite and Wally Schirra for the CBS coverage of the Apollo 12 and 15 space missions. His thirteen-part TV series "Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World" in 1981 and "Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers" in 1984 have been screened in many countries and he has contributed to other TV series about space, such as Walter Cronkite's "Universe" series in 1981.

Clarke first visited Colombo, Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) in December 1954. He moved there in 1956 and lived there ever since, pursuing an enthusiasm for underwater exploration along that coast and on the Great Barrier Reef.

His fascination with diving led to him meeting his wife Marilyn Mayfield, whom he divorced ten years later.

In 1998, his lifetime work was recognised when he was honoured with a knighthood – formally conferred by Prince Charles in Sri Lanka two years later.

In recent years, he has been largely confined to a wheelchair due to post-polio syndrome, but his output as a writer continued undiminished.

Marking his “90th orbit of the Sun” in December, the author said that he did not feel "a day over 89" and made three birthday wishes: for ET to call, for man to kick his oil habit and for peace in Sri Lanka.