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4.0
In recent times we’ve seen a number of classic SF authors no longer with us get the biographical treatment. Brian Aldiss has had a critical analysis of his work in this series published by the University of Illinois Press last year, a few years ago official biographies of Heinlein finally appeared (with more unofficial criticism on the way), and Ursula K LeGuin has a documentary currently being produced that summarises her life. With this appreciation of our classic authors, it is therefore fitting that in the year after the centenary of his birth, we read a book that attempts to analyse and criticise the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
This is a book that tackles an issue that I’ve felt has needed to be addressed for a while. As a life-long fan, I’ve believed that for one of the most famous science fiction writers of the 20th century (see also H.G. Wells, Bradbury, Heinlein and Asimov) there is remarkably little published about this author or his work.
Whilst Sir Arthur has had a biography published (Neil McAleer’s updated Sir Arthur C. Clarke: Odyssey of a Visionary, which I would also recommend) most of his own personal thoughts and diaries have been unknown, locked away in the ‘Clarkives’ with disclaimers that they are not to be made public until at least 2038.
With such a lack of information, it has made a definitive analysis of this already reclusive author difficult. Nevertheless, Gary, scholar, reviewer, editor of The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy and, amongst other things, critic for Locus Magazine, has taken up the challenge of trying to piece together what few biographical sources about Sir Arthur there are out there. Perhaps more importantly, this book tries to analyse and criticise his writing, much of which has been undervalued and usually limited to a few sentences. As a long-time fan of Sir Arthur’s work, it makes fascinating reading.
The book begins with Arthur’s early life, and how he came to writing science fiction. Gary suggests that there are a number of key events at that time which led to themes running through Arthur’s fiction – for example, there is a continuous theme around the topic of ‘money’ and how much scientific exploration depends on that desire for it, or to get rich from it.
Sir Arthur’s work is full of inventors and explorers who profit from an invention or the discovery of something which makes them (usually a ‘him’) rich. Westfahl suggests that this theme may be due to Clarke’s own personal need to acquire wealth. Sir Arthur’s father died early in his life and this left Clarke Junior feeling that he always had to be financially secure, even when he was.
Also of interest is the ruminations Gary makes on Clarke’s ideas of aliens and space exploration. It is noticeable to Westfahl that much of Sir Arthur’s work is about aliens finding humans, not the other way around. From Childhood’s End to the monolith and the ‘Star Child’ in 2001 to the alien cylinder called ‘Rama’, the novels often examine the situation that it is the humans who are discovered, not the other way around. Despite what some critics have suggested, unlike many other authors of his time, Sir Arthur does not herald the human race’s expansion into space as a necessary or an automatic consequence of the human spirit.
Indeed, in his determination to write ‘realistic’ science fiction, it is noticeable that Clarke rarely goes beyond the Solar System. Eschewing the convenient yet scientifically unlikely development of faster-than-light travel, most of Sir Arthur’s work therefore remains based on Earth or within the realms of feasible human travel. It is only when the Earth is doomed that humans deliberately leave their home planet permanently (The Songs of Distant Earth, for example.)
Most interestingly, Westfahl proposes that Sir Arthur’s work, rather than being a positive view of future expansion, as many critics would have it, is, on closer inspection, actually rather bleak. Much of the future in Clarke’s worlds is based not on Mankind blazing a trail into the unknown (which is the usual view given by critics of his work) but also on the failure of the technology to get us there – from the stricken liner Selene sinking into moondust in A Fall of Moondust, to the destruction of the space elevator in Fountains of Paradise and even the breakdown of HAL in 2001, a message is subtly given that relying on technology in the future can be dangerous.
From this book it is clear that Clarke throughout his life was interested in a spiritual dimension as well as a practical scientific one. Though not particularly religious himself, he continuously examined and questioned spiritual issues in his writing – perhaps his most famous stories The Nine Billion Names of God or The Star (where the star over Bethlehem is discovered to have actually been an exploding supernova) are obvious examples of that.
Whatever Sir Arthur’s personal beliefs, it is clear that religion is an ever-present (some might say omnipresent) theme in Clarke’s work. The importance of religion to Mankind also examined through many of Sir Arthur’s novels as well as his short stories - the Buddhist monks of Taprobane in The Fountains of Paradise for example. Even his non-fiction book and television series The Mysterious Worlds of Arthur C. Clarke was made to show Clarke’s interest in the paranormal. Westfahl suggests that the alien ‘Overmind’ in Childhood’s End, the higher beings in his ‘underrated’ novel Imperial Earth and even the ending of 2001 are part of this connection that humans have to higher beings of consciousness that have been throughout Sir Arthur’s writing.
There are aspects of Sir Arthur’s life that have remained deliberately obscured, even in his official biography – his homosexuality (though an open secret to those who knew him) and his relationship with his scientific and literary peers are two that Gary tackles without sensationalism. Though not essential to an understanding of the author’s writing, these aspects serve to give us a better picture of the author, and perhaps what his personal motivations were. It does seem that ‘The Ego’ was driven not only by a need to popularise science, but a desire to show his peers that he could do so.
In summary, this critical guide does what it hopes to do – present a case why Arthur C Clarke’s work is important and why he has gained the reputation that he has. As a fan it is most welcome, but I think that those with a slight interest would find this interesting as well. Admittedly it is a book about books, which can sometimes be rather dry, but here, and most importantly, it is a thoughtful work that educates and entertains. It is written in such a way that it will be of interest to both fans and casual readers of Sir Arthur’s work. Not all of it is flattering, but nor is it a hagiography (which I felt the Patterson Heinlein duology was). By comparison, I felt that it is remarkably even-handed and effectively adds to the little that we know – or think we know – about Sir Arthur. Written by someone who ‘knows his stuff’, I feel that the legacy of Sir Arthur has finally been given justice, and therefore this guide is to be wholeheartedly recommended.
This is a book that tackles an issue that I’ve felt has needed to be addressed for a while. As a life-long fan, I’ve believed that for one of the most famous science fiction writers of the 20th century (see also H.G. Wells, Bradbury, Heinlein and Asimov) there is remarkably little published about this author or his work.
Whilst Sir Arthur has had a biography published (Neil McAleer’s updated Sir Arthur C. Clarke: Odyssey of a Visionary, which I would also recommend) most of his own personal thoughts and diaries have been unknown, locked away in the ‘Clarkives’ with disclaimers that they are not to be made public until at least 2038.
With such a lack of information, it has made a definitive analysis of this already reclusive author difficult. Nevertheless, Gary, scholar, reviewer, editor of The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy and, amongst other things, critic for Locus Magazine, has taken up the challenge of trying to piece together what few biographical sources about Sir Arthur there are out there. Perhaps more importantly, this book tries to analyse and criticise his writing, much of which has been undervalued and usually limited to a few sentences. As a long-time fan of Sir Arthur’s work, it makes fascinating reading.
The book begins with Arthur’s early life, and how he came to writing science fiction. Gary suggests that there are a number of key events at that time which led to themes running through Arthur’s fiction – for example, there is a continuous theme around the topic of ‘money’ and how much scientific exploration depends on that desire for it, or to get rich from it.
Sir Arthur’s work is full of inventors and explorers who profit from an invention or the discovery of something which makes them (usually a ‘him’) rich. Westfahl suggests that this theme may be due to Clarke’s own personal need to acquire wealth. Sir Arthur’s father died early in his life and this left Clarke Junior feeling that he always had to be financially secure, even when he was.
Also of interest is the ruminations Gary makes on Clarke’s ideas of aliens and space exploration. It is noticeable to Westfahl that much of Sir Arthur’s work is about aliens finding humans, not the other way around. From Childhood’s End to the monolith and the ‘Star Child’ in 2001 to the alien cylinder called ‘Rama’, the novels often examine the situation that it is the humans who are discovered, not the other way around. Despite what some critics have suggested, unlike many other authors of his time, Sir Arthur does not herald the human race’s expansion into space as a necessary or an automatic consequence of the human spirit.
Indeed, in his determination to write ‘realistic’ science fiction, it is noticeable that Clarke rarely goes beyond the Solar System. Eschewing the convenient yet scientifically unlikely development of faster-than-light travel, most of Sir Arthur’s work therefore remains based on Earth or within the realms of feasible human travel. It is only when the Earth is doomed that humans deliberately leave their home planet permanently (The Songs of Distant Earth, for example.)
Most interestingly, Westfahl proposes that Sir Arthur’s work, rather than being a positive view of future expansion, as many critics would have it, is, on closer inspection, actually rather bleak. Much of the future in Clarke’s worlds is based not on Mankind blazing a trail into the unknown (which is the usual view given by critics of his work) but also on the failure of the technology to get us there – from the stricken liner Selene sinking into moondust in A Fall of Moondust, to the destruction of the space elevator in Fountains of Paradise and even the breakdown of HAL in 2001, a message is subtly given that relying on technology in the future can be dangerous.
From this book it is clear that Clarke throughout his life was interested in a spiritual dimension as well as a practical scientific one. Though not particularly religious himself, he continuously examined and questioned spiritual issues in his writing – perhaps his most famous stories The Nine Billion Names of God or The Star (where the star over Bethlehem is discovered to have actually been an exploding supernova) are obvious examples of that.
Whatever Sir Arthur’s personal beliefs, it is clear that religion is an ever-present (some might say omnipresent) theme in Clarke’s work. The importance of religion to Mankind also examined through many of Sir Arthur’s novels as well as his short stories - the Buddhist monks of Taprobane in The Fountains of Paradise for example. Even his non-fiction book and television series The Mysterious Worlds of Arthur C. Clarke was made to show Clarke’s interest in the paranormal. Westfahl suggests that the alien ‘Overmind’ in Childhood’s End, the higher beings in his ‘underrated’ novel Imperial Earth and even the ending of 2001 are part of this connection that humans have to higher beings of consciousness that have been throughout Sir Arthur’s writing.
There are aspects of Sir Arthur’s life that have remained deliberately obscured, even in his official biography – his homosexuality (though an open secret to those who knew him) and his relationship with his scientific and literary peers are two that Gary tackles without sensationalism. Though not essential to an understanding of the author’s writing, these aspects serve to give us a better picture of the author, and perhaps what his personal motivations were. It does seem that ‘The Ego’ was driven not only by a need to popularise science, but a desire to show his peers that he could do so.
In summary, this critical guide does what it hopes to do – present a case why Arthur C Clarke’s work is important and why he has gained the reputation that he has. As a fan it is most welcome, but I think that those with a slight interest would find this interesting as well. Admittedly it is a book about books, which can sometimes be rather dry, but here, and most importantly, it is a thoughtful work that educates and entertains. It is written in such a way that it will be of interest to both fans and casual readers of Sir Arthur’s work. Not all of it is flattering, but nor is it a hagiography (which I felt the Patterson Heinlein duology was). By comparison, I felt that it is remarkably even-handed and effectively adds to the little that we know – or think we know – about Sir Arthur. Written by someone who ‘knows his stuff’, I feel that the legacy of Sir Arthur has finally been given justice, and therefore this guide is to be wholeheartedly recommended.
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