EGOGRAM
OF SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE
Friends, Earthlings, E.T.s - give me your eyes!
Sir
Arthur C. CLARKE
(Colombo, January 1, 2003) Looking
back on the year which has gone wherever it is years go
to, I am happy to report that it has been a fairly and
productive one. Best of all, peace does appear to have
returned to Sri Lanka: I wish that could be said for the
rest of the world, though at least it seems to be emerging
from the long shadow of 9/11. (Has any day in history
so imprinted itself on the racial memory? And I am still
spooked by the fact that, exactly 30 years ago, I chose
that very date for the catastrophe which opens RENDEZVOUS
WITH RAMA…)
Sir
Arthur C. CLARKE is in his home in
Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Although I am completely wheel-chaired (even walking a
few paces with leg-braces and helpers tires me) otherwise
I’m feeling fine – both eating and sleeping
well. And dealing with the couple of hundred e-mails,
faxes and cards for my 85th birthday (December
16) has exhilarated rather than exhausted me. Apparently many world newspapers listed
my arrival as one of the notable events of 1917…
(wasn’t there a war on at the time as well?)
Brother
Fred, Chris Howse, Angie Edwards and Havam Tambayah look
after my affairs in England, and as they have done for
many years, my agents David Higham Associates and Scovil,
Chichak Galen deal with rapacious editors and media executives.
More
important, all but one of my adopted family – Hector
– Valerie, Chrene and Melinda Ekanayake –
are here for Xmas: Only Tamara is in England, and I hope
to see her in the New Year. Hector has been looking after
me since 1956, and with his wife Valerie has made a home
for me at 25 Barnes Place.
"My
beloved Chihuahua Pepsi is never
far from me..."
My beloved Chihuahua Pepsi is never far from me, night
or day: she is now over ten years old and spends %90
of her time sleeping – but is always ready to
pick a fight with Minnie, our Yorkshire terrier. After
a succession of sadly-missed Shepherds and Ridgebacks,
I never imagined that I would lose my heart to so tiny
a canine person.
I
am also well looked after by my staff and take this opportunity
to thank them all:
Executive
Officer: Nalaka Gunawardene
Personal
Assistant: Rohan De Silva
Secretaries:
Tony Thurgood & Dottie Weerasooriya
Aide:
Lenin Kumarasiri
Valets:
Titus, Saman & Chandra
Drivers:
Lalith, Anthony Ranjisth
Domestic
Staff: Kesavan, Ramani, Jayasiri & Gunawardene
Gardeners:
Jagath & Premasiri
1
Jan 2003
* * * * *
I
receive a new media project almost every day: it’s
nice to be wanted, except by INTERPOL… However,
now that I have reluctantly accepted my limitations of
time and energy, most enquirers receive my ‘Kindly
Drop Dead’ reply form.
Herewith
my current obligations, which are not really as demanding
as it may appear, since almost all the works is already
done – at least as far as my part is conserned:
BOOKS
THE
TREASURE OF THE GREAT REEF (Byron Preiss)
ARTHUR
C CLARKE & C.S.LEWIS: A CORRESPONDENCE
A
TIME ODYSSEY (with Stephen Baxter)
TIME’S
EYE )
NOVA )
(Ballantine Books)
WOLFLINGS)
PRELUDE
TO 2001 (Roger Caras Interviews)
TOMORROWS’
WORLDS: with Michael Benson (Abrahams)
SOFTLY
COME THE DRAGONS: with Charlie Pellegrino
THE
POWER AND THE GLORY: With Stephen Baxter
FROM
THE BEGINNING (PREFACE): With Pat Vickers-Rich, M.A. Fedonkin,
T. Gehling
MOVIES/MEDIA
RENDESVOUS
WITH RAMA ( Morgan Freeman: Revelations Entertainment)
CHILDHOOD’S
END (Universal/Beacon)
THE
FOUNDATIONS OF PARADISE (Susan Philips)
MAELSTROM TWO (I.L.M.)
IBM
TELEPORT: Feb 18
©
Sir Arthur C. CLARKE, Colombo - Sri Lanka.
1 Jan 2003
Related links in the LM's New Year 2003 Issue:
*
We have dedicated this issue
to Sir Arthur C. Clarke for his 85th Birthday...
* ARTHUR C. CLARKE: Links the ancient with the futuristic,
and shows how they might be compatible...
Article and Illustrations by Julie
MARDINatio
*
Warm peace breezes from Sri Lanka...
© Photos - Bircan Unver, Colombo, December 20 and
31, 2002
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