This post was published over 700 days ago and therefore may not represent current Outside Context thinking or opinion. Please, do not let that detract from your enjoyment of it! Surely one of the most brilliant, and accurate, visionaries has died. Sir Arthur C Clark was many things in his long life, scientist (he worked on radar in WWI), creative thinker (He invented the concept of the satellite) and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. To himself though he always wanted to be remembered as a writer. His writing was in the style that came to be known as “hard science-fiction” where the normally fanciful genre of SCI-FI touched upon science-fact and became rigorously accurate, his mantra was to explore the limits of the possible and his legacy was to kick start an entire genre that has inspired millions. His greatest works were often translated into films and the best known of these was the Stanley Kubrick-directed 2001: A Space Odyssey.
There are many more works I recommend to the reader including the following personal selection:
- Rendezvous with Rama (1972)
- The Fountains of Paradise (1979)
- 2010: Odyssey Two (1982)
- 2061: Odyssey Three (1988)
- Rama II (1989) (with Gentry Lee)
- The Hammer of God (1993)
His final days were spent at his home in his beloved Sri Lanka and on his 90th birthday he released the following video to the world, what was his last words to humanity, words of peace. He ends the following clip with these words, a quote from Kipling:
“If I have given you delight with all that I have done, let me lie quiet in that night which shall be yours anon. And for the little, little span the dead are borne in mind, seek not to question other than the books I leave behind.”
Clarke died in Sri Lanka at 1:30am on 19 March after suffering from breathing problems according to Rohan de Silva, one of his aides.[20][21][7]
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