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Arthur C. Clarke

アーサー・C・クラーク

Āsā C. Kurāku

Pen Names: Charles Willis（Pen name used for some early works）, E.G. O'Brien（Alternate byline used on occasion）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1917-12-16 （Minehead, Somerset, England）
Died
2008-03-19 （Colombo, Sri Lanka） age 90
Nationality
United Kingdom, Sri Lanka
Languages
English
Religion
Pantheist/Atheist tendencies; sympathetic to Buddhist ideas
Residence History
Minehead, England → Bishops Lydeard / Taunton, England → Unawatuna, Sri Lanka → Colombo, Sri Lanka

Career

Occupations
Science fiction writer, Essayist, Science communicator, Screenwriter
Active Years
1934-2008
Affiliations
British Interplanetary Society, Mensa, Arthur C. Clarke Foundation
Memberships
Mensa (member), British Interplanetary Society (served as president), United States National Academy of Engineering (member)
Influenced By
H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, Olaf Stapledon, Lord Dunsany, Edgar Rice Burroughs
Influenced
Stephen Baxter, Ted Chiang, Yoshiyuki Tomino (influence on works/creators), Hideaki Anno, Makoto Shinkai
Nominations
Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay (2001: A Space Odyssey, shared with Stanley Kubrick), Nominated/recommended candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize (recommended in 1994)

Education

King's College London
Physics & Mathematics
Degree: 一級学士号 (First-class degree)
Period: 1945–1946
Year of Graduation: 1946
Country: United Kingdom
Read physics and mathematics; graduated with a first-class degree in 1946

Awards

Hugo Award (Short Story)
1956
Work: "The Star"
Category: 短編小説
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: 受賞
Hugo Award (Best Novel)
1974
Work: Rendezvous with Rama
Category: 長編小説
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: 受賞
Hugo Award (Best Novel)
1980
Work: The Fountains of Paradise
Category: 長編小説
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: 受賞
Nebula Award (Best Novel)
1973
Work: Rendezvous with Rama
Category: 長編小説
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
Result: 受賞
Nebula Award (Novella/Longer Work)
1973
Work: "A Meeting with Medusa"
Category: 中長編/中編
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
Result: 受賞
SFWA Grand Master Award
1985
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Kalinga Prize (UNESCO)
1961
Work: For contributions to popularizing science
Organization: UNESCO
Result: 受賞
Marconi Prize
1982
Work: Contributions to communications and remote sensing
Organization: Marconi Society
Result: 受賞
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
1989
Organization: The Crown (as published in The London Gazette)
Result: 授与
Knight Bachelor
2000
Organization: Presented by Queen Elizabeth II
Result: 授与
Sri Lankabhimanya
2005
Work: Contributions to science and the nation
Organization: Government of Sri Lanka
Result: 授与
Robert A. Heinlein Award
2004
Work: Lifetime contribution to science fiction
Organization: Heinlein Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (MoPOP)
1997
Organization: Museum of Pop Culture
Result: 殿堂入り

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

2001: A Space Odyssey

1968 Science fiction (space opera / philosophical SF) 296 pages

A novel exploring human evolution, advanced technology (e.g. HAL), and contact with a transcendent extraterrestrial intelligence. Famously adapted into a film.

Human evolutionAI and ethicsTranscendence
Adaptations
  • [Film] 2001: A Space Odyssey / スタンリー・キューブリック (1968)
Translations
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey (translated editions)

Childhood's End

1953 Science fiction (cosmic/soft SF) 224 pages

Depicts the arrival of an alien intelligence that transforms human society and ultimately ushers humanity into a next stage of evolution.

EvolutionReligious and philosophical questionsEnd and redefinition of humanity
Translations
  • Childhood's End (translated editions)

Rendezvous with Rama

1973 Science fiction (hard SF) 256 pages

A giant cylindrical alien object 'Rama' enters the solar system; human explorers investigate its interior, revealing mysteries and detailed technical depiction.

Encountering the unknownExploration and technical detailHumanity's place
Translations
  • Rendezvous with Rama (translated editions)

The Fountains of Paradise

1979 Science fiction (technology / hard SF) 224 pages

A novel centered on the construction of a space elevator, exploring technical, political, and human dramas surrounding the project.

Access to spaceTechnological imaginationHuman and natural relationships
Translations
  • The Fountains of Paradise (translated editions)

Bibliography

  • Extensive bibliography of novels, short stories and non-fiction (major works listed above)

Adaptations

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey (film, 1968, dir. Stanley Kubrick)

Translations of Works

  • Numerous translations into Japanese and other languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Hard-SF grounded in scientific reasoningGrand, cosmic perspectiveClear, expository essayistic prose
Recurring Motifs
Human evolutionPractical future technologies (geostationary satellites, space elevators)Contact with alien intelligencesOcean and diving motifs

Health

  • Acute poliomyelitis (polio)
    1962（発症）
    Contracted polio in 1962 with residual effects; developed post-polio syndrome by 1988 requiring wheelchair use. Respiratory complications contributed to his death.

Legacy

One of the leading science fiction writers of the 20th century; influential in popularizing the concept of communications satellites and spaceflight. Recipient of numerous awards; his name endures in concepts (Clarke orbit), prizes and institutions.

Museums

  • Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies (Sri Lanka) Near Colombo, Sri Lanka Opened in 1984
  • National Air and Space Museum (Arthur C. Clarke collection) Washington, D.C., USA Opened in 2015

Academic Societies

  • British Interplanetary Society
  • Mensa

Archives

  • Arthur C. Clarke papers and archives (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum)

In Popular Culture

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey profoundly influenced film and visual culture
  • Prizes named after him (Arthur C. Clarke Award, Sir Arthur Clarke Award, etc.)
  • Asteroid 4923 Clarke; proposed popular-name 'Clarke Event' for GRB 080319B

Quotes

  • Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
    Source: Profiles of the Future (one of Clarke's Laws) (1962)

Trivia

  • Proposed satellite communications relays in 1945.
  • Co-wrote the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey with Stanley Kubrick; nominated for an Academy Award.
  • Lived in Sri Lanka for most of his later life and wrote about local life and diving.
  • Portions of his papers were donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.