Arthur C. Clarke 

Date of birth - 16.12.1917 (Minehead, Somerset, England) 

Date of demise - 19.03. 2008 (Colombo, Sri Lanka) 

" I don’t pretend we have all the answers. But the questions are certainly worth thinking about. " 

Arthur C. Clarke 

"How inappropriate to call this planet 'Earth' when it is clearly 'Ocean'." 

Arthur C Clarke 

Arthur Charles Clarke was born to the parents Mr. Charles Wright Clarke and Mrs. Nora Mary. He completed his education from Huish's Grammar School, Taunton (1927 - 1936) and the B.Sc., First Class, Physics and Mathematics from King's College London (1946 - 1948). 

Clarke married Marilyn Mayfield in 1953 but they got divorced in 1964. He lived in Sri Lanka from 1956 to 2008, also became Sri Lanka’s first 'Resident Guest' (long-term visa status) in 1975. However, Clarke never turns into a citizen of Sri Lanka. He always remained a British citizen until his death. 

“To be a science fiction writer you must be interested in the future, and you must feel that the future will be different and hopefully better than the present. Although I know that many science fiction writings have been

anti-utopias — 1984, as an example. And the reason for that is that it’s much easier and more exciting to write about a really nasty future than a placid, peaceful one.”

Arthur C Clerke

This great author is best known for the science fiction written by him. Most of them include predictions of the future. Although these are fictions, they are created on a logical foundation. Fictions written by him are, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two, 2061: Odyssey Three, 3001: The Final Odyssey,

Childhood Ends, Childhood’s End, Cradle (with Gentry Lee), Dolphin Island, Earth Light, Expedition to Earth, Rama Revealed (with Gentry Lee), Rama 2 (with Gentry Lee), Reach for Tomorrow…

Non-Fictions also there is a large number. 1984: Spring, Ascent to Orbit, By Space Possessed, Astounding Days, Boy Beneath the Sea, Indian Ocean Adventure, Indian Ocean Treasure, Profiles of the Future, The Coast of Coral, The First Five Fathoms, The Reefs of Taprobane, The Young Traveler in Space, Voice Across the Sea, Voices from the Sky…are few of them.

The best considered cinematic venture of Clarke is 2001: A Space Odyssey which was released in 1968. Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World is one of his outstanding television involvements. It was produced by Yorkshire TV for the ITV network in the UK. Clerk was the Colonial Officer and Magistrate in Baddegama movie directed by Lester James Peiris.

“Writing is a lonely profession, and after a few decades, even the most devout egotist may occasionally yearn for company. But collaboration in any work of art is a risky business, and the more people involved, the smaller the chances of success.”

Arthur C Clarke, in an essay titled ‘Coauthors and Other Nuisances’ (1989)

Clerk was a very good diver other than being a great writer. He joined with Sri Lankan Hector Ekanayake to establish the first professional diving company in the country to set up underwater safaris. That much he loved the Oceanic ecosystem.

In 1979 President J. R Jayawardene appointed him as the Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa (1979-2002). He was also served as the Chancellor of the International Space University (1989-2002) and as the Chairman of Arthur C Clarke Foundation.

Clarke received the below-mentioned Honorary degrees for the great service rendered by him for mankind and science and technology.

D. Sc., Beaver College, Pennsylvania, USA (1971)

D. Sc., University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (1979)

D. Lit, University of Bath, UK (1988)

Lit., the University of Liverpool, UK (1995)

D. Lit., Baptist University of Hong Kong (1996)

D. Sc., International Space University, France (2005)

Written by H. Deshan Wijayantha, Department of Linguistics 

(Information – From Arthur C Clarke official website)

(Photographs – From Wikipedia the encyclopedia) 

Clarke at his home in Sri Lanka, 2005

Clarke in February 1965, on one of the sets of 2001: A Space Odyssey