Clarke, Arthur C(harles)

(British, 1917–2001)

Clarke was one of the most knowledgeable science fiction writers and was at one time president of the British Interplanetary Society. He published scientific research on satellite communications and is credited with inventing the idea of the android. Clarke is probably most famous for a short story, ‘The Sentinel’, which was the basis for Stanley Kubrick's ground-breaking science fiction film, 2001. This then developed into the Space Odyssey series, three novels published in 1968, 1982, and 1988. Clarke specialized in writing about space travel and many of his non-fiction writings, on moon landings and the development of lasers, have accurately predicted scientific events, earning him prophetic status. Begin with the Space Odyssey series, and move on to Childhood's End (1953), an ingenious and thought-provoking tale about the transformation of humanity.

Robert Heinlein, H. G. Wells. See SCIENCE FICTION  LM