n 1945, Arthur C. Clarke predicted the development of
geosynchronous satellites and projected their use in his
technical paper "Extraterrestrial Relays." He foresaw the
development of the Internet decades before its appearance. The
Dalai Lama phoned him personally after reading Clarke's short
story "The Nine Billion Names of God." A collaboration with
filmmaker Stanley Kubrick became the novel and film 2001.
Steven Spielberg optioned his novel The Hammer of God, out
of which came the film Deep Impact. Sir Arthur C. Clarke,
now in his eighties, has many more achievements,
far too many to itemize here. However, Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds!,
a selected collection of his essays written over the past 60 years,
attempts to give readers an overview of Clarke's most famous
and interesting work.
Arranged by decade, the essays include tributes to Robert
Heinlein and Gene Roddenberry; a scientific discussion on the
importance of the moon to the future of humanity; writings about
his beloved Sri Lanka, where he has lived since the '50s; and
the hilarious document "The Steam-Powered Word Processor,"
which Clarke calls a "heavily researched piece of spurious
scholarship taken quite seriously by some European readers." "Steam"
describes the fictional "almost forgotten engineering
genius the Reverend Charles Cabbage (1815-188?), onetime vicar of
St. Simians in the Parish of Fat Tottering, Sussex," and his ill-fated invention, the "word loom." Also included is a somewhat
tongue-in-cheek piece on the joys of sex in space. Each essay
has a short foreword by Clarke.
In essence, the book is a series of snapshots that document the life of one
of the best-known science fiction writers of this century. Clarke
says, "I have always resisted all journalistic attempts to label
me a prophet. What I have tried to do, at least in my
nonfiction, is to outline possible futures--at the same time
pointing out that totally unexpected inventions or events can
make any forecasts absurd after a very few years."
A career in fact and in fiction
In 1944, Clarke (who was knighted in 1998 for "services to
literature") could confidently presume that "all science fiction
fans are...interested in astronautics." Today the sibling
rivalry between science-driven and character-driven SF makes
that a shaky presumption. Although all fans of the literature
are likely interested in the ways SF extrapolates into the
future, many are more compelled by good stories than by
scientific rigor. Accordingly, those essays in Greetings, Carbon-Based
Bipeds! that are very technical in content will have some
readers flipping the pages in search of Clarke's more accessible scientific
writing or the anecdotes that convey his
character and experiences.
Some of the earlier pieces inevitably reveal a younger, more
brash soul. In the 1970s, explaining why he is so fond of Ceylon
(now Sri Lanka), Clarke wrote, "There are islands in the
Pacific perhaps more lovely and more temperate, but they have no
culture, no sense of the past--nothing to engage the
intellect...empty, mindless beauty." Hopefully the Clarke of
1999 would be less quick to assert that any group of people is
cultureless. Clarke very honestly says in the preface, "Tempted
though I occasionally have been to do a little editing, each
essay is presented exactly as it first appeared in print. ...
Often it has been more interesting see where (and why) I went
wrong, than where I happened to be right."
Clarke also takes obvious delight in talking about the renowned
persons with whom he associates (including astronauts,
scientists, artists and religious leaders). Some readers may be
impressed at the many personal stories about famous people. Others may dismiss them as name-dropping.
Despite its shortcomings, however, Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! is clearly a volume that
traces a life being lived with vigor and joy.
