Clarke was born in Minehead, Somerset, England. As a boy he enjoyed stargazing and reading old American science fiction pulp magazines (many of which made their way to the UK in ships with sailors who read them to pass the time). After secondary school and studying at Huish's Grammar School, Taunton, he was unable to afford a university education and got a job as an auditor in the pensions section of the Board of Education.

During the Second World War he served in the Royal Air Force as a radar specialist and was involved in the early warning radar defence system, which contributed to the RAF's success during the Battle of Britain. Clarke spent most of his wartime service time working on Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) radar as documented in the semi-autobiographical Glide Path, his only non-SF novel. Although GCA did not see much practical use in the war, after several years of development it was vital to the Berlin Airlift of 1948–1949. He initially served in the ranks, and was a Corporal when he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer (Technical Branch) on 27 May 1943. He was promoted Flying Officer on 27 November 1943. He was demobilised with the rank of Flight Lieutenant. After the war he earned a first-class degree in mathematics and physics at King's College London.

In the postwar years, Clarke became involved with the British Interplanetary Society and served for a time as its chairman. Although he was not the originator of the concept of geostationary satellites, one of his most important contributions may be his idea that they would be ideal telecommunications relays. He advanced this idea in a paper privately circulated among the core technical members of the BIS in 1945. The concept was published in Wireless World in October of that year. Clarke also wrote a number of non-fiction books describing the technical details and societal implications of rocketry and space flight. The most notable of these may be The Exploration of Space (1951) and The Promise of Space (1968). In recognition of these contributions the geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometres (22,000 mi) above the equator is officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union as a "Clarke Orbit".

While Clarke had a few stories published in fanzines, between 1937 and 1945, his first professional sales appeared in Astounding Science Fiction in 1946: "Loophole" was published in April, while "Rescue Party", his first sale, was published in May. Along with his writing Clarke briefly worked as Assistant Editor of Science Abstracts (1949) before devoting himself to writing full-time from 1951 onward. Clarke also contributed to the Dan Dare series published in Eagle, and his first three published novels were written for children.

Clarke corresponded with C. S. Lewis in the 1940s and 1950s and they once met in an Oxford pub, the Eastgate, to discuss science fiction and space travel. Clarke, after Lewis's death, voiced great praise for him, saying the Ransom Trilogy was one of the few works of science fiction that could be considered literature.

In 1948 he wrote "The Sentinel" for a BBC competition. Though the story was rejected it changed the course of Clarke's career. Not only was it the basis for A Space Odyssey, but "The Sentinel" also introduced a more mystical and cosmic element to Clarke's work. Many of Clarke's later works feature a technologically advanced but prejudiced mankind being confronted by a superior alien intelligence. In the cases of The City and the Stars, Childhood's End, and the 2001 series, this encounter produces a conceptual breakthrough that accelerates humanity into the next stage of its evolution.

In 1953 Clarke met and quickly married Marilyn Mayfield, a 22-year-old American divorcee with a young son. They separated permanently after six months, although the divorce was not finalised until 1964.

Clarke lived in Sri Lanka from 1956 until his death in 2008, having emigrated there when it was still called Ceylon, first in Unawatuna on the south coast, and then in Colombo. Clarke held citizenship of both the UK and Sri Lanka. He was an avid scuba diver and a member of the Underwater Explorers Club. Living in Sri Lanka afforded him the opportunity to visit the ocean year-round. It also inspired the locale for his novel The Fountains of Paradise in which he described a space elevator. This, he believed, ultimately will be his legacy, more so than geostationary satellites, once space elevators make space shuttles obsolete.

His many predictions culminated in 1958 when he began a series of essays in various magazines that eventually became Profiles of the Future published in book form in 1962. A timetable[14] up to the year 2100 describes inventions and ideas including such things as a "global library" for 2005.

Early in his career Clarke had a fascination with the paranormal and stated that it was part of the inspiration for his novel Childhood's End. He also said that he was one of several who were fooled by a Uri Geller demonstration at Birkbeck College. Although he eventually dismissed and distanced himself from nearly all pseudoscience he continued to advocate research into psychokinesis and similar phenomena.

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Arthur C. Clarke - 23 Books

The Inscrutable Americans is a bestselling novel by an Indian author, Anurag Mathur. It is about the experiences of a 'subcontinental bumpkin' in America. Humorous in intention, it concentrates on the mishaps and misadventures of a village Indian in the USA, and many true observations which are humorously told.

Front Pages
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

The Inscrutable Americans
-------------------------

Dear brother,

greetings to respectful parents. I am hoping all is well with health and
wealth. I am fine at my end. Hoping your end is fine too. With God's
grace and parents' blessings I am arriving safely in America and finding
good apartment near University. Kindly assure mother that I am strictly
consuming vegetarian food only in restaurants though I am not knowing if
cooks are Brahmins. I hope parents' prayers are residing with me.

Younger brother, I am having so many things to tell you that I am not
knowing where to sart. Most surprising thing about America is it is full
of Americans. Everywhere Americans, Americans, big and white, it is
little frightening. The flight from New Delhi to New York is arriving
safely thanks to God's grace and Parents' prayers and mine too. I am not
able to go to bathroom whole time because I am sitting in corner seat as
per revered grandmother's wish. Father is rightly scolding that airplane
is flying too high to have good view. Still please tell her I have done
needful.

But, brother, in next two seats are sitting two old gentle ladies and if
I am getting up then they are put in lot of botheration so I am not
getting up for except when plane is stopping for one hour in London.
Many foods are being served in carts but I am only eating cashew nuts
and bread because I am not knowing what is food and what is meat.
I am having a good time drinking 37 glasses of Coca-Cola.

They are rolling down a screen and showing a film but I am not listening
because air hostess ladies are selling head phones for 2 dollars which
is Rs.60 and in our beloved Jajau townwe can sit in balcony seats in
Regal Talkies for only Rs.3. I am asking lady if they are giving student
discount but she is too busy. I am also asking her for more Coca-Cola
but she is looking like she is weeping and walking away. I think perhaps
she is not understanding proper English.

Then I am sleeping long time after London and when I am waking it is
like we are flying over sea of lights. Everywhere, brother, as far as I
am seeing there are lights lights. It is like God has made carpet of
lights. Then we are landing in New York and plane is going right upto
door so that we are not having to walk in cold. I must say Americans are
very advanced. And as I am leaving aeroplane, air hostess is giving me
one more can of Coca-Cola. Her two friends are also with her, but why
they are laughing so much I do not know. I think these Americans are
strange but friendly people in their hearts. I hope she was not laughing
for racial. Perhaps she was feeling shy earlier.

Then I am going to long bathroom. As I am leaving I am making first
friend in America. This is Negro gentleman named Joe who is standing at
door and as I am opening it he is holding out hand so I am shaking it
and telling him my name and he is tellng me his. I am telling him if he
is ever coming to Jajau he can ask for National Hair Oil Factory. If I
have not returned from Higher Studies please tell father that if negro
gentleman named Joe is visiting Jajau he may kindly do needful.

In this way I feel each and every one of us is serving as Ambassador of
our beloved Motherland. Joe is doubtful I feel because he says "Far out,
man, far out", but I am reassuring him that India is only 16 hours away
by plane and that is not very far. I think he is accepting this because
he is not saying anything any more.

Next I go to place marked " Baggage" as Father has advised and suddenly
place I am sitting starts to move throwing me. It is like python we once
saw in forest, only rattling and with luggage bouncing on its back and
sometimes leaping to attack passengers. I am also throwing myself on bag
before it is escaping. I think if I am not wrestling it down it would
revert to plane and back home to India. I am only joking of course.
Before this I am meeting very friendly gentleman at Immigration desk. I
do not know why all relatives had warned against this man, bacause he is
so friendly. He is talking English strangely but is having kind heart
because he is asking me about nuts and I am saying that I am liking very
much and eating many on plane. "Totally, totally nutss," he is saying,
which I feel American expression for someone fond of cashewnuts. Before
this he is showing friendliness by asking "How is it going?" I am telling
his fully and frankly about all problems and hopes, even though you may
feel that as American he may be too selfish to bother about decline in
price of hair oil in Jajau town. But, brother, he is listening very
quietely with eyes on me for ten minutes and then we are having friendly
talk about nuts and he is wanting me to go.

At Customs, brother, I am getting big shock. One fat man is grunting at
me and looking cleverly from small eyes. "First visit?" he is asking,
"Yes," I am agreeing "Move on," he is saying making chalk marks on bags.
As I am picking up bags he is looking directly at me and saying "Watch
your ass." Now, brother, this is wonderful. How he is knowing we are
purchasing donkey? I think they are knowing everything about everybody
who is coming to America.

They are not allowing anybody without knowing his family and financial
status and other things. And we are only buying donkey two days before
my departure. I think they are keeping all information in computers.
Really these Americans are too advanced.

But, brother, now I am worrying. Supposing this is CIA keeping watch or
else how they can know about our donkey? Anyway please do not tell Mother
and Father or they are worrying, but lock all doors and windows. If CIA
wants to recruit me to be spy in Jajau, I will gladly take poison before
betraying our Motherland. Then I am going out and cousins are waiting and
receiving me warmly. I will write soon after settling down.

Your brother,

---------------------------------------------- end of letter

On the silver screen Chetan Bhagat believes in giving complete freedom to those adapting his books to different media .

Chetan Bhagat, like another famous novelist insists he is not in the Shakespeare stakes. The other novelist was Ian Fleming and he created James Bond. Chetan is also responsible for a seismic shift in Indian writing in English.

With “Five Point Someone” a coming-of-age novel set in IIT, Chetan opened the floodgates and soon the market was inundated with bildungsroman.

Chetan followed “Five Point Someone” with “One Night at the Call Centre”. Chetan has moved back to Mumbai after 12 years in Hong Kong and continues with his day job as investment banker while putting final touches on his third novel, “The Three Mistakes of my Life.”

In Bangalore for good friend, Shinie Antony’s book launch, Chetan took time out to talk about books, films and coming home. Excerpts.

What is “The Three Mistakes of My Life” about?

Like the tagline says, it is about cricket, religion and business. While the book is more serious compared to my other two novels, the time-pass element is very much there.

It is light treatment against a serious backdrop. The book tells the story of three boys in Gujarat who decide to start a sports shop.

Any particular reason for setting the novel in Gujarat?

Gujarat is the only State where businessmen are considered ideal husband material. Salaried people are looked down upon because they work for others.

Also I felt I had to earn the title of youth writer. Both “Five Point Someone” and “One Night at the Call Centre” have a cosmopolitan look and feel. The themes they tackle are also rather urban and elitist. I wanted to broaden my base, to do something different and talk to youth across the country.

I think the ‘60s-to-‘80s generation is boring and intolerant. The generation before that were very cool as they got us Independence.

I think a lot of our problems are because of the Doordarshan generation ruling the STAR TV generation. We need a revolution. There is always a refresh button on the browser.


Considering you are tackling serious issues, are you nervous of the reception?

Actually I was more nervous about “One Night at the Call Centre. This book has a positive buzz. The advance reviews have been good. We have a 200,000 advance order.

It is all happening. I am in the middle of promotional activity. We just launched the web site. I am convinced we are onto a good thing.


What made you return to India?

Well, the country has given me a lot and now it is time to give back. I just like India, it is as simple as that. Yeah, living is easier in Hong Kong. Like just yesterday the maid had malaria.

I thought all these diseases were eradicated. Everyday is a challenge and everyday you have something to be thankful for. But that is perfect for a writer, there is so much fodder for further plots. The other thing is my three-year-old twin boys were the only brown skinned children talking in a Chinese accent which was quite freaky.


When are the books going to hit the screen?

I have written the script for “Hello” which is based on “One Night at a Call Centre”. The film, directed by Atul Agnihotri, will star Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. Rajkumar Hirani, who made the Munnabhai movies is making “Idiot” which is inspired by “Five Point Someone”.


What is your take on film adaptations of books?

I write for passion unlike some writers who write for ego. For the screen adaptation, I have given the concerned people full freedom. Even Nikhila who adapted “Five Point Someone” for stage had complete freedom to do what she wanted. “Idiot” stars Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor. We all know Aamir does not take up rubbish projects and I respect Raju’s work. You should have confidence in the people who are putting Rs. 30 crore into a project. I do, and I am here to help.


How about your readers who might feel upset with how their favourite characters look on screen?

It is all open source programming. I would like to see a different take on my work.


Is this a good time for Indian writing in English?

You tell me. I know I am not the greatest writer ever. I believe that you cannot call yourself an Indian writer unless Indians read you. Everyone tells me I should get a foreign agent and publish abroad. I think a brown clap is the same as a white clap.