The first “grown-up” book I remember picking up and reading cover to cover on my own was Arthur C. Clarke’s “The Exploration of Space.” it had a profound influence on me in that it converted all the gobbledygook I saw on Saturday Morning serials and prompted me to turn my attention to the Mercury and Gemini missions. As a writer, he helped me grow up. As a thinker, he calmed down the cognitive panic entailed in peeking into the unknown with the even hand of science. As a storyteller, he made science fiction unstupid. Not only were his readers inspired to become astronauts, but also physicists, philosophers, diplomats and doctors.
For me at least, Sir Arthur wasn’t so much a prophet as an extraordinary clear thinker. God knows, the world is always better for the presence of clear thinking. I thank him for that. And I invite you to share any thoughts on a man who always seemed to see two steps beyond our own imaginations.
-kwm
19 responses so far ↓
1 Jacobi on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:01 am
“2001″ is one of the greatest science fiction tales of all time, and Clarke’s career is a shining example to all those who feel that fiction can be as honest as non-fiction.
2 Tim D on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:15 am
“Childhood’s End” was required reading in grade school and one of the greatest highlights of my public education. Godspeed, Arthur.
3 Rob T Firefly on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:22 am
Cinematically speaking, his “2001″ was the very first time I can remember a film adaptation of a novel being as good as – if not even more enjoyable than – the novel.
I won’t lie, even as an avid consumer of wordy scifi I often found his prose difficult to get through, but there is no doubt that he created awesome worlds, and the fact that he put so much of his heart and soul into the “2001″ film earned him the status of film legend on top of all his other accomplishments.
He’ll be missed.
4 Barry on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:26 am
I had no idea we were still in Marchtober of 2007.
I think one of the most powerful things that can be said about Clarke is that he taught people to dream about the future and make it happen. His fearless insight into space exploration, satellite communication, etc., brought the world into an entirely new age wholly different from the world in which he was born. And that insight has been an object lesson for thousands of thinkers around the world pushing toward whatever frontier we as a species embark upon next.
5 Dave-o on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:36 am
my first exposure to Arthur C. Clarke’s genius was “Mysterious Universe” watching rerun after rerun on discovery. Of course later on there came 2001 and 2010, having even watched 2010 in my grade 10 science class. He will certainly be missed.
P.S. Hey Kevin, if im spoiling the sentiment, but he passed away today, the year is 2008 my friend…
6 Dave-o on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:37 am
that is, forgive me if im spoiling the sentiment
7 Bill Corbett on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:43 am
Read “Rendezvous with Rama” a few months ago. Interesting how much the book leaves as a mystery, which I don’t usually like. But this was brilliant, all in all.
8 Kevin Murphy on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:48 am
Yeah, I need an editor.
9 SEISMIC on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:50 am
I am certainly up for the job Sir Murphy!!
10 Neb on Mar 19, 2008 at 9:09 am
“Rendezvous with Rama” is probably my favorite Clarke novel still. That whole “you are there” vibe really sucked me in as a young teenager, and it still does to this day.
When Kubrick made “2001″, he was so ahead of his time with a “serious” sci-fi film that there was nothing to equal it for many, many years. I remember wanting to see it as a kid when it was re-released in the early/mid-70s. My poor mom saw the “The Ultimate Space Odyssey” tag line and, not being particularly erudite, viewed it with suspicion and vetoed the idea. Fooey!
11 Onil on Mar 19, 2008 at 9:13 am
That was one of the books that got me started on my love for reading. Treasure Island and The Martian Chronicles were the other two books that I remember reading avidly and repeatedly during grade school.
12 Meredith on Mar 19, 2008 at 10:07 am
“Rendezvous with Rama” was required reading in 6th grade, and not only the first Clarke book I read, but the first hard science fiction. After that, his books were a big influence on my interest in science and science fiction. He’ll be missed.
13 NickE on Mar 19, 2008 at 10:51 am
For 40 years he’s been my favorite science-fiction author, with his cowriter-of-late Stephen Baxter coming in at second. I was deeply saddened to hear the news this morning.
He had claimed, years ago, that “Fountains of Paradise” was to be his last book, and ever since I’ve bought each of his novels on publication date — assuming each one was to be his last. Fittingly, it truly will be “The Last Theorum” this November.
Random thought: It was kinda cool to know that I kinda knew somebody in Sri Lanka.
Other random thought: In 1965, my father — who owned an Esso station on Main Street in Flushing, NY — fixed the tire on Clarke’s rent-a-car when he came to New York see the World’s Fair and to meet with Kubrick about maybe collaborating on a movie. Which taught me that some moments aren’t known to be historic until years later.
And as it was with Kubrick before him, the world will be an emptier place with his passing.
14 Darth Chimay on Mar 19, 2008 at 11:21 am
Childhood’s End, Rendezvous with Rama, Hammer of God, 2001, Report on Planet Three, The Lion of Cormarre, The Nine Billion Names of God, Mysterious World… I could go on and on.
“overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.”
Another star has dimmed.
15 Dan Noutko-Kennedy on Mar 19, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I’ve read only one short story by Sir Arthur C. Clarke–The Star, written in 1955–and that was probably 20 years ago, yet it sticks with me still. A Jesuit, who is the chief astrophysicist of a mission to a planet whose sun long ago went supernova, has a crisis of faith when he is left to carry the “burden of knowledge” that he and his crewmates uncover. The ending is not to be forgotten. It can be read online.
http://lucis.net/stuff/clarke/star_clarke.html
16 MSTJedi on Mar 19, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Wow. that sucks. Read Childhood’s End in a Science Fiction literature class (where I learned that the proper abbreviation is “sf”) and liked it and 2001 enough to read 2010, 2061, and 3001 recently, along with Hammer of God and The Light of Other Days.
Loved the 2001 series and the subject matter of The Light of Other Days still gets into my head every now and then.
It’s sad to hear that someone who could make science fiction feel so real and obtainable is gone.
17 Daniel on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I’m truly ashamed to say that I have never read any of Sir Arthur’s work. I’m not trying to be funny here, it’s the absolute truth. After reading everyone’s comments here, I feel that I have missed something really special in science fiction literature.
I know of Sir Arthur mainly through the film 2001, which is a great,groundbreaking movie (I know I’m not saying anything new about it). I will definitely take out his books from the library next time I go.
that was a really nice sentiment, Mr. Murphy
18 Teaser on Mar 20, 2008 at 1:52 am
as a young adult I loved Childhoods End,It would have been a gas to go to a school where Childhoods End was required reading….The closest my school came was Farenheit 451
19 gojikranz on Mar 20, 2008 at 8:17 am
one of the first real novels i read was 2001 when i was in 4th grade and i think it opened my eyes back then. he will be missed
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