Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The collected short stories: Arthur C Clarke

Arthur C Clarke's short stories were the first things I remember reading as a pre-teen. They were published month by month in a boys' magazine called Speed and Power to which I graduated after I finished with The Dandy. Praise God for parents who subscribe to comics and magazines for their children. From this I progressed to his novels, to his science books, to his rivals and peers.

Your brain is still mushy at that age, but solidifying fast. Mine went this way. Physics is beautiful. Technology can make fairy tales true. It's OK to dream of a better world. Writing can be lucid and enlightening. Wouldn't it be fun to study Physics at King's College (Clarke studied Physics and Maths joint honours). Then, be a writer for the rest of your life, simplifying complex things that you study for the fun of learning about them and writing novels. Clarke died a few months ago and I still miss him.

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