Arthur C. Clarke was born in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset,
England in December 16, 1917. In 1936 he moved to London, where he
joined the British Interplanetary Society. There he started to
experiment with astronautic material in the BIS, write the BIS Bulletin
and science fiction.
During World War II, as a RAF officer, he was in charge of the first
radar talk-down equipment, the Ground Controlled Approach, during its
experimental trials. His only non-science-fiction novel, Glide Path, is
based on this work.
After the war, he returned to London and to the BIS, which he presided
in 46-47 and 50-53.
In 1945 he published the technical paper "Extra-terrestrial Relays"
laying down the principles of the satellite communication with
satellites in geostationary orbits - a speculation realized 25 years
later. His invention has brought him numerous honors, such as the 1982
Marconi International Fellowship, a gold medal of the Franklin Institute
, the Vikram Sarabhai Professorship of the Physical Research Laboratory,
Ahmedabad, the Lindbergh Award and a Fellowship of King's College,
London. Today, the geostationary orbit at 42,000 kilometers is named The
Clarke Orbit by the International Astronomical Union.
The first story Clarke sold professionally was "Rescue Party", written
in March 1945 and appearing in Astounding Science in May 1946.
He obtained first class honors in Physics and Mathematics at the King's
College, London, in 1948.
He married Marilyn Mayfield, an American, in June 15, 1953. They split
in December 1953. As Clarke says, "The marriage was incompatible from the
beginning. It was sufficient proof that I wasn't the marrying type,
although I think everybody should marry once".
Clarke first visited Colombo, Sri Lanka (at the time called Ceylon) in
December 1954.
In 1954 Clarke wrote to Dr Harry Wexler, then chief of the Scientific
Services Division, U.S. Weather Bureau, about satellite applications for
weather forecasting. Of these communications, a new branch of
meteorology was born, and Dr. Wexler became the driving force in using
rockets and satellites for meteorological research and operations.
In 1954 Clarke started to give up space for the sea. About the reasons,
he said: "I now realize that it was my interest in astronautics that led
me to the ocean. Both involve exploration, of course - but that's not
the only reason. When the first skin-diving equipment started to appear
in the late 1940s, I suddenly realized that here was a cheap and simple
way of imitating one of the most magical aspects of spaceflight -
weightlessness."
In the book Profiles of the Future (1962) he looks at the probable shape
of tomorrow's world. In this book he states his three Laws.
In 1964, he started to work with Stanley Kubric in a SF movie script.
After 4 years, he shared an Oscar Academy Award nomination with him for
the film version of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
He co-broadcasted the Apollo 11 , 12 and 15 missions with Walter
Cronkite and Wally Schirra for CBS.
In 1985, He published a sequel to 2001: 2010: Odyssey Two. He worked
with Peter Hyams in the movie version of 2010. They work was done using
a Kaypro computer and a modem, for Arthur was in Sri Lanka and Peter
Hyams in Los Angeles. Their communications turned into the book The
Odyssey File - The Making of 2010.
Next was his thirteen-part TV series Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World in 1981
and Arthur C. Clarke's World of strange Powers in 1984 has now been
screened in many countries. He made part of other TV series about the
space, as Walter Cronkite's Universe series in 1981.
He has lived in Colombo, Sri Lanka since 1956 and has been doing
underwater exploration along that coast and the Great Barrier Ree
In 1968, when 2001: A Space Odyssey opened in theatres, there was no
questioning its genius. Never before had a film been so visually
powerful and conceptually dizzying. Now that the original soundtrack has
(finally) been released on CD in the United States, there is cause to
rejoice. Though most are only familiar with the film's trademark main
title, Also Sprach Zarathustra, and the wonderful galloping Blue Danube,
also included on this new package is a stunning array of atmospheric
chanting and humming, sure to bring back fond memories to anyone who
enjoyed the film. (It even concludes with a track featuring ten minutes
of HAL 9000 dialogue!) The twenty page booklet is brimming with
information about both the movie and the music, all of which I found
fascinating. The case is enclosed in a blue cardboard cover and behind
the transparent CD tray is an eerie picture of the infamous star child.
While I would definitely recommend this to any fan, I must warn that
those expecting an exciting, fast paced science fiction soundtrack in
the tradition of John Williams' Star Wars scores may be disappointed.
