Arthur C. Clarke's 1991 Egogram
1991 was a difficult year, involving several medical
emergencies and the race to finish my longest book, How the
World was One: Beyond the Global Village. Then there was
just time to pack and fly to London with my personal
physician, Dr. Theva Buell, and my partner Hector
Ekanayake. On May 8, I entered University College Hospital,
and would like to pay a tribute to my surgeon, Mr. Peter
Worth, who spent 2 1/2 hours in a tricky rearrangement of
my plumbing, involving the removal of a diverticulam
(bladder extrusion) and prostate, both of which were
heading for the Guiness Book of Records. I returned to
Colombo 10 June and have made an excellent recovery from
the operation.
On the Post-Polio Syndrome front, my condition appears
stable, thanks to a regime of rigorous daily physiotherapy.
I can now walk almost normally for short distances, and
still play regular (though sessile) table tennis. Best of
all, I made three open-sea SCUBA-dives in March, the last
of 100 feet on a beautiful wreck seven miles out of
Colombo. My main limitation is energy: I have to sleep
every afternoon without fail.
To conserve my mental and physical resources, I have
cancelled my subscriptions to almost all magazines and have
resigned from as many organizations as possible-including,
very reluctantly, the Institute of Fundamental Studies.
However, I have agreed to continue as Chancellor of the
University of Moratuwa, and of the International Space
University.The Ekanayake family is fine; Tamara (8) has
made her first TV commercial and features (full-size!) in a
beautiful colour almanac, both for Lakspray Milk. Cherene
(12) has won several swimming contests, and Melinda (2) is
an absolute doll.
My beloved Ridgeback Rikki is warming my feet at this
moment, and Tammy's Chihuahua Pepsi-quite the most
endearing little creature I've ever known-lives permanently
inside my shirt. But we still grieve for Cherene's Cairn,
Dainty, lost through an infection just before she would
have given us her first puppies.
Despite occasional fighting in the North, conditions in
most of Sri Lanka are now perfectly normal. The west coast
hotels are packed, and tourist are returning in record
numbers. We have bought a beautiful house on the beach near
Coral Gardens, Hikkaduwa, for Underwater Safari's divers
and our guests. I hope to spend much time there, with dogs,
Diskman, and laptop.Rather extensive plans are being made
to celebrate my 75th birthday at my hometown, Minehead, and
if all goes well I'll be there in July. (No way I'll be in
uk December 16!)With over fifty projects in orbit, there's
certainly no danger of boredom, and I expect to be happily
occupied until at least 2001, which I can't believe is now
only nine years away.....
Arthur C. Clarke's 1992 Egogram
5 April 92
File: Opera
v 15 Nov 9
I was particularly glad to meet Robert Swarthe (who gave
an illustrated lecture on the planned Fountains of Paradise
movie) Harry Lange (2001 designer) Len Carter (long-time
secretary of the bis) Duncan Steel (authority on asteroids,
who came all the way from Australia), and SF authors John
Brunner and Bob Shaw. An unexpected pleasure was a visit by
Dr. Carl Djerassi, co-inventor of the Pill, who is now
writing some excellent science-based fiction (e.g. Cantor's
Dilemma). And I was particularly delighted to meet
Britain's first (and so far only) astronaut, Helen Sharman,
who told me about life aboard the MIR space-station.
The highlight of the Minehead visit was being made the
town's first Freeman, at a special meeting of the Council.
No one seemed quite sure what privileges this conveys; the
suggestion that it entitles me to drive sheep through
mid-town on market day could not be confirmed.
On my return to London I gave a final press conference in
the Science Museum-besides the now-completed Babbage
Difference Engine, whose historic ancestor had so
fascinated me more than half a century ago. Then I was
wheeled next door to see the Natural History Museum's scary
new exhibit-a convincingly animated tableau of three small
dinosaurs feeding on one ten times their size, with
suitable sound effects. Don't miss it!
My visit was made possible only by the care and
hospitality of Sally and Navam Tambayah, with whom I stayed
in West London, and my adopted Sri Lankan family, the
Ekanayakes. I was very happy that Hector, Valerie, Cherene,
Tamara, and Melinda were able to make a side-trip to
Eurodisney. Melinda celebrated her 3rd birthday as we were
descending towards Colombo...
It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience, but we
were all happy to be back home with our beloved dogs-my
Ridgeback Rikki and Tammy's Chihuahua Pepsi. (But we still
grieve for Cherene's Cairn, Dainty, who brought us so much
joy in her short life.)
My general health is excellent; I have made a complete
recovery from the major rearrangement of my plumbing
carried out in University College Hospital in May 91. But
the Post-polio Syndrome requires daily physiotherapy, and I
have to sleep every afternoon. However, I can walk
unassisted for short distances, and play regular (though
sessile) table tennis. And having proved that I am still
100% operational underwater, I look forward to more diving.
To conserve time and energy, I have cancelled my
subscriptions to almost all magazines and societies.
However, I have been persuaded to continue as Chancellor of
the International Space University and the University of
Moratuwa.
Despite occasional fighting in the North, Sri Lanka is now
perfectly normal and tourists are returning in record
numbers. We have bought a beautiful house on the beach near
Coral Gardens, Hikkaduwa, for Underwater Safari's divers
and our guests. I hope to spend much time there, with dogs,
Discman, and laptop.
With some 50 projects in orbit, there's certainly no
danger of boredom, and I expect to be happily occupied
until at least 2001-which I can't believe is now less than
nine years away.
EGOgram 92.v2
20 Aug 92
Arriving in UK July 9 for the slightly premature
celebrations of my 75th birthday (no way I'd be there in
December!) I was just in time to see Heather Couper host
the Giotto flyby. Then on 13 July Sir Hermann Bondi
presented me with the International Science Policy
Foundation's medal, with a speech so flattering that it
quite embarrassed me (no mean feat.)
July 15 there was a reception by the Parliamentary Space
Committee in the House of Commons, where I met many old and
new friends, including several from the Other Place-Lords
Shackelton, Bessborough, and Wilberforce, cheerful survivor
of two ordeals: being attacked by an elephant in Sri Lanka,
and reading the whole of Imperial Earth in "Books for the
Blind". The occasion was recorded in Hansard (14 July, p.
968) as follows:
Sir Michael Marshall: In a week that marks the 75th
birthday of the British space pioneer Arthur C. Clarke and
his visit to the House of Commons will my right hon. Friend
take this opportunity of assuring the House that... HM's
Government will make every effort to take initiatives in
the space field to improve the quality of life and assist
British industry?
The Prime Minister: I think I can give my hon. Friend the
assurance that he seeks. I welcome the visit of Mr. Clarke
to the House. We shall continue to take initiatives...in
pursuit of space priorities.
Thank you Mr. Major: but in view of Britain's deplorable
record in space achievements, I'll believe it when I see
it. Ironically, on the way out of the House I ran into Tony
Benn, widely regarded by my friends in the industry as
responsible for this sad state of affairs. We exchanged
polite greetings.
The next weekend I went to my hometown, Minehead, for the
small but excellent Space Exhibition arranged by my brother
Fred with the help of an army of volunteers. Among the
items on display: Moon rocks from NASA, guarded by two
genuine Daleks; a wonderful collection of space art (and
artists-David Hardy, Matt Irvine, Danny Flynn, Paul
Swendsen); a met-sat readout system-and, of course a small
mountain of Neil McAleer's Odyssey, which Gollancz had
rushed to through the press with incredible speed. Neil and
I signed hundreds of copies...
The only glitch in the extensive programme was when poor
Patrick Moore was put into hospital, the day before he was
due to open the proceedings, by an Indentified Flying
Object-viz. a cricket ball which almost cost him his
observing eye. Heather Couper kindly drove across England
at a moment's notice to replace him, and joined Gentry Lee
in an amusing and informative discussion on space exploring
which everyone enjoyed. I'm happy to say that when I joined
Pat a week later to do a promotional video for British
Aerospace, he had fully recovered. I was also able to
return Heather's kindness by taking part in one of her TV
programmes.
Serendipity's "Arthur C. Clarke: A Failed Recluse" was
aired by HTV on 17 July, and a longer version covering the
Minehead activities will soon be released. Southern Cross
Entertainment (which recently filmed me 100-feet down on a
beautiful wreck seven miles off Colombo) also made
extensive video coverage for a programme about my
underwater career.