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Arthur C. Clarke Is Dead at 90

'2001' author shaped space-age thought

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 18, 2008 8:55 PM CDT

(Newser) – Arthur C. Clarke, the sci-fi author who helped shape 20th-century scientific imagination, is dead at 90, the New York Times reports. The co-creator of 2001: A Space Odyssey faced post-polio syndrome in recent decades and died at his home in Sri Lanka due to breathing trouble. “No one can predict the future,” Clarke maintained, but he couldn’t resist trying—and often succeeded.

Clarke was an early believer in space travel and wrote in 1945 that satellite networks could aid communication on Earth. “Most technological achievements were preceded by people writing and imagining them,” Clarke said. “I know several astronauts who became astronauts through reading my books.” The optimistic author saw technology as a road to a better world. “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” he noted.

[Images (5)]

[Videos (4)]

Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke poses in this undated photo released in the late 1960s. Clarke wrote or co-wrote more than 100 books. (AP Photo)

Science fiction author Arthur Clarke poses near his personal satellite antenna at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka in this Jan. 28, 1977 file photo. (AP Photo)

Sri Lankan guest resident Arthur C. Clarke, center, the British science-fiction author, inventor, and futurist. (AP Photo)

Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke holds a copy of his book "Exploration of Space" at a home in Washington, D.C., in this June 9, 1952 file photo. (AP Photo)

Science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke, poses at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in this May 9, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo)

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2001 A Space Odyssey Opening (lostv7 (YouTube))

Sir Arthur C Clarke: 90th Birthday Reflections (TVEAPfilms (YouTube))

arthur c clarke (jonwy (YouTube))

Arthur C. Clarke in 2001 (Jmcenanly (YouTube))

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Arthur C. Clarke Is Dead at 90