Goodbye, Arthur, and thanks for those magic moments
BBC on-line is one of the many Web sites announcing, today, the depart of Arthur C. Clarke, one of the greatest SciFi writers ever lived on Planet Earth. Those of you who, like me, got lost in the worlds and scenarios depicted and summoned into our mind and heart by novels like Childhood’s End, Earthlight or The Songs of Distant Earth will never forget the precious gift of such a great novelist. Arthur C. Clarke inspired Kubrik’s unforgettable 2001: A Space Odissey with his short novel The Sentinel, too, and the following episodes in writing and on screen. I would like to say my personal goodbye to a man who filled our brains and souls with such beautiful stories, bringing our hearts in a magical flight far into the realm of fantasy and helping us grow up with a broader vision and enriched creativity. Thanks, Arthur, we won’t forget what you’ve done for SciFi and for us readers.
P.S.
I would also like to send a public message to Mr Ray Bradbury, one of my all-time favourite SciFi writer, to beg his pardon for the journalists who’ve written, in their articles about Clarke’s depart, “the last great old man of SciFi dies“. Even a popular SciFi Italian portal seems to indulge in the same error, together with other sites and blogs. Yes, Ray himself has described himself as a non-SciFi writer, and the legendary Martial Chronicles themselves as Fantasy, not Science Fiction. Nonetheless, who would say that many his works are not pillars of this literary genre? It would be like affirming that Matheson or Heinlein or Herber are not SciFi writers as their novels delve deep into the Horror genre.
Ray, please forgive these ‘journalists’, and please stay well and live long, maybe I will have a chance to meet you and thank you personally for the great works of genius and wit you’ve brought into our lives since we were kids if you come to visit us together with your great friend Ray Harryhausen here at the places where his great Jason and The Argonauts was filmed, Palinuro. After all, we have great expectations and good hopes about your longevity, since Mr Electro said ‘Live for ever!’ touching you with his magicl sword 
P.P.S. You can read Clarke’s last interview on IEEE Spectrum and also listen to the related podcast
Marzo 22nd, 2008 at 11:35 am
a meno che non volesse essere un gioco di parole che non ho capito, credo che nel titolo vada scritto” Goodbye”, e non “goodbay”
colgo anche l’occasione per ringraziarti e farti i miei complimenti, ho giocato qualche tua avventura quando ero giovane e bello
a proposito, ricordo di aver giocato una quindicina di anni fa ad un’avventura testuale per amiga500, ispirata al film “la casa”, e ricordo che era in italiano.. mica puoi fornirmi qualche info per ritrovarla? se puoi contattami via mail, grazie!!
Marzo 24th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Avevi ragione, lawful, era proprio un errore! Grazie a te per avere ricordato i bei tempi delle avventure testuali, purtroppo di quella per Amiga500 di cui mi parli non ho traccia nemmeno io, al limite prova a menzionarla nel newsgroup italiano sulle avventure testuali, magari qualcuno ce l’ha ancora o sa dove trovarla! Buona Pasqua!
Maggio 28th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
AVVENTURA ‘LA CASA’. Scusa il ritardo, Lawful, comunque l’avventura La casa per Amiga 500 era stata pubblicata sul numero 7 (dicembre 1988) del mensile Amiga Byte, che stiamo cercando di recuperare proprio in questi giorni. Tieniti in contatto per avere ulteriori info, ciao e forza BDB!