Sir Arthur Charles Clarke

@Writers, Facts and Childhood

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke was a British science fiction writer, inventor and futurist who had also served in the Royal Air Force during the World War II

Dec 16, 1917

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Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: December 16, 1917
  • Died on: March 19, 2008
  • Nationality: British
  • Famous: Writers, Science Fiction Writers
  • Spouses: Marilyn Mayfield
  • Siblings: Fred Clarke
  • Known as: Arthur C. Clarke

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke born at

Minehead, Somerset, England

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Birth Place

He married Marilyn Mayfield in 1953. The couple separated within months of marriage though they did not divorce till 1964. They did not have any children together.

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Personal Life

Clarke migrated to Sri Lanka in 1956 and became close to a Sri Lankan man, Leslie Ekanayake. He did not publicize his sexuality, but it was generally believed that he was homosexual.

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Personal Life

He suffered from post-polio syndrome during his later years and had to use a wheelchair. He died from respiratory failure at the age of 90 in 2008.

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Personal Life

Clarke was born in Somerset, England to a farmer and his wife. He grew up on farm stargazing and reading popular magazines. He attended the Huish Grammar School.

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Childhood & Early Life

He held a job as a pension auditor in the Board of Education during the pre-war days. During the World War II, he served as a radar specialist in the Royal Air Force.

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Career

He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in May 1943. Within months he was promoted to Flying Officer. He was later appointed chief training instructor at Royal Air Force and had become the Flight Lieutenant by the time the war ended.

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Career

He enrolled in the prestigious King’s College, London after the war and earned a first-class degree in mathematics and physics.

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Career

He served two stints as the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society (1946-47; 1951-53).

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Career

Starting from the decade on 1950’s, Clarke focused on his writing career. His first published novel, ‘The Sands of Mars’ came out in 1951.

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Career

The 1968 futuristic novel ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ is one of the most popular works of Clarke. The novel deals with many vital issues such as dangers of nuclear war, challenges of technology, and artificial intelligence.

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Major Works

‘Rendezvous with Rama’ published in 1972, is considered to be one of the cornerstones in his writing career. The novel won a number of awards in the category ‘Best Novel’ including Nebula Award, Hugo Award and Jupiter Award.

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Major Works

His novel ‘Fountains of Paradise’ (1979) described space elevators and geostationary orbits. It won many nominations and awards.

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Major Works