Sir Arthur C. Clarke najpoznatiji je po svom radu koji je inspirirao film 2001. i njegov nastavak 2010. Strastveni pisac, koji je uvijek uživao u mogućnostima stvarne primjene znanstvene fantastike na znanost, Clarke se smatra jednim od tri velika, ili jednim od tri najvažnija pisca znanstvene fantastike njegova doba. Druga dvojica, Robert Heinlein i Isaac Asimov, preminuli su prije Clarkea, koji je rođen 1916.
Clarke was born and educated in England, and served as a radar specialist for the British Airforce during WWII. After the war ended, Clarke earned degrees in mathematics and physics at King’s College. In addition to being a fine writer, and much inspired by the many pulp science fiction magazines he read as a boy, Sir Arthur C. Clarke was also a gifted scientist and inventor. One of his most famous ideas was his suggestion that satellites could be used to support planetary communications of telecommunications. Though mostly prediction at the point he proposed it, it has clearly come true with the many satellite phones, and GPS devices commonly used.
Clarke je poznat po svojim igranim djelima te po pisanju i razvoju nekoliko znanstveno-fantastičnih emisija za British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Manje je poznat po brojnim publicističkim djelima koje je objavio tijekom svoje karijere. Na primjer, Glide Path, iako je ispričan u obliku fikcije, autobiografski. Ostala nefikcijska djela uključuju Obećanje svemira i Istraživanje svemira.
The short story that Sir Arthur C. Clarke wrote, which later inspired 2001 was called “The Sentinel,” and was rejected in 1948 by the BBC when Clarke submitted it for a short story competition. It was not published until 1951, and it would be another 17 years before the story was significantly edited and changed for the Stanley Kubrick classic sci fi film. “The Sentinel,” remains Clarke’s best-known work, though he also published several novels. These include, Childhood’s End, Rendezvous with Rama, and The City and the Stars. In total he has written over 30 novels, published over ten short story collections, and 30 works of non-fiction.
Osim što je bio strastveni promatrač zvijezda i zainteresiran za sve znanstvene i znanstvene fantastike, Sir Arthur C. Clarke je također uživao u ronjenju, što je potaknulo njegov preseljenje u Šri Lanku. Zbog svog doprinosa književnosti i znanosti Clarke je 1998. razmatran za vitešku titulu. Odbio je ovu početnu ponudu jer je u isto vrijeme britanski tabloid objavio huškački članak o njemu u kojem se tvrdilo da je pedofil. Navodi su doveli do istrage od strane vlade Šri Lanke i Clarke je u konačnici oslobođen svih optužbi za pedofiliju. Godine 2000. proglašen je vitezom i proglašen je za viteza neženju Engleske, gdje ima državljanstvo, iako je također državljanin Šri Lanke.
Since 1988, Sir Arthur C. Clarke has been partly to totally dependent on a wheel chair as a result of post-polio syndrome. In 2007, he stated that he was completely dependent on a wheel chair and would not travel from Sri Lanka again. His fertile imagination continues to serve him, and he will always be remembered as the man who wrote one of the most important science fiction pieces Earth has yet to receive.