SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 03/21/1973 - HFSID 168305

ARTHUR C. CLARKE
Clarke signed this typed airmail letter in 1973, the year after he published his award-winning novel Rendezvous with Rama. In it, he turns down an invitation to participate in a science fiction panel due to his schedule. Accompanied by original invitation.
Typed letter signed: "Arthur C. Clarke" in blue ink. 1 page, 7¼x10¾, on blue 15¢ Unites States air mail stationery. New York, New York, March 21, 1973. Addressedto Søren Fischer, National Film Theatre, London, England. In full: "As you will have heard from my brother or Phil Strick, I am indeed sorry I won't be able to make it on June 9. As I feared - and warned Phil - my Acapulco engagement ending 6 June would not give enough time, and now I have to be in the US mid-June to sail for Africa on Cunard's Eclipse Expedition. So it would have been a rushed round trip across the Atlantic just for one lecture. Hopefully, we may be able to manage something at some future date, but this year is so hectic I cannot even make a suggestion. I hope this has not caused too much trouble - I have only just now discovered the situation and realised how far Acapulco is from London! All good wishes". Accompanied by: unsigned copy of a typed letter from Fischer, dated March 1, 1973, outlining plans for Clarke's participation in a panel discussion. Clarke (1917-2008, born in Minehead, Somerset, England) was a researcher and science fiction author perhaps best known for 2001: A Space Odyssey. In 1964, the popular science fiction writer had been approached by director Stanley Kubrick, who wanted to make "the proverbial good science fiction movie." Clarke simultaneously wrote his novel, which spanned man's exploration of his universe from the savannahs of Africa to the rings of Saturn, as Kubrick was creating the film. Both debuted in 1968. Besides his sequels to 2001, Clarke has produced some of science fiction's most celebrated novels, including Childhood's End and Rendezvous with Rama, thought-provoking short stories like The Nine Billion Names of God and many essays. A resident of Sri Lanka since 1946, Clarke won two Hugo and one Nebula award, and he shared an Oscar nomination with Kubrick for 2001 in 1968. Lightly toned and creased. Slightly frayed edges. Adhesive residue on flaps. Folded twice and unfolded. Otherwise in fine condition.