Arthur C. Clarke (December 16, 1917 – March 19, 2008)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). On a trip to Florida in 1953, Clarke met and quickly married Marilyn Mayfield, a 22-year-old American divorcee with a young son. They separated permanently after six months, although the divorce was not finalized until 1964. "The marriage was incompatible from the beginning", says Clarke. Clarke never remarried after his sudden marriage and even more sudden divorce, but was close to a Sri Lankan man, Leslie Ekanayake, whom the author called his "only perfect friend of a lifetime" in his dedication to The Fountains of Paradise. Clarke is buried with Ekanayake, who predeceased him by three decades, in the Colombo central cemetery. In his biography of Stanley Kubrick, John Baxter cites Clarke's homosexuality as a reason why he relocated, due to more tolerant laws with regard to homosexuality in Sri Lanka. Journalists who enquired of Clarke whether he was gay were told, "No, merely mildly cheerful." Arthur C. Clarke’s home in Colombo, still untouched today after his death, is named after Leslie, Leslie’s House, and Leslie’s portrait hangs on a wall.

Timeline & Places:

• December 16, 1917: born.

• 1940s: attended King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, Regno Unito

• 1950s: lived at Hotel Chelsea, 222 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011, Stati Uniti

• 1956 to 2008: lived at Leslie’s House, 25 Barnes Pl, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka, sharing with Leslie Ekanayake

• March 19, 2008: died. Buried at Borella Kanattha Cemetery, Colombo 08, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Buried alongside: Leslie Ekanayake (July 13, 1947 – July 4, 1977).

References:

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1500563323
CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Queer Places, Vol. 1.2: Retracing the Steps of LGBTQ people around the World Authored by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1544066585 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1544066589
CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/7265079
Amazon print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1544066589/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1BU9K/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Queer New York City: Retracing the Steps of LGBTQ people around the World
ISBN-13: 978-1979628808 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1979628807
CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/7790698
Amazon print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1979628807/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Queer Places, Vol. 2.1: Retracing the Steps of LGBTQ people around the World
ISBN-13: 978-1532906312 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1532906315
CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/6228833
Amazon print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1532906315/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1KZBO/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Queer Places, Vol. 3.2: Retracing the Steps of LGBTQ people around the World
ISBN-13: 978-1544068435 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1544068433
CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/6980677
Amazon print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1544068433/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZXI10E/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Comments

[hpstrangelove.livejournal.com]

Wow - thanks for this. I read lots of sci-fi but rarely know anything about the author's lives.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Clarke is an icon, but seldom he is among the names everyone cites, he was sort of subdued with his private life

[kirby-crow.livejournal.com]

Clarke is definitely one of my icons, but Sri Lanka has not kept up with the times concerning LGBTQ rights. Too bad. Nice to see Clarke here, though! :)

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Maybe that is the reason why Clarke was a very private man; in any case, even after the death of Leslie, he remained closed to his lover's family, so that he called them his adopted family.