Rendezvous with Rama

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (1917-2008) was born in Somerset, England. From an early age, he showed an interest in science fiction, which he attributed to serial magazines like the American publication Amazing Stories and the works of authors like Olaf Stapledon and David Lasser. During his teenage years, Clarke became a member of the United Kingdom’s Junior Astronomical Association and wrote for the society’s journal, Urania. Clarke’s expertise in space travel made him a frequent writer on the topic, allowing him to debate the pros and cons of space exploration.

During World War II, Clarke contributed to developing radar technologies that bolstered British airborne defense systems. He solidified his knowledge of aeronautics through a formal study of mathematics and physics at King’s College London, after which he worked as an academic. In the years after the war, he served twice as the president of the British Interplanetary Society. His theories drove progress on orbital telecommunications and inspired public support for interplanetary space flight. All the while, Clarke built his reputation as a science fiction writer; his early works include the 1948 novella Against the Fall of Night, the 1951 short story “If I Forget Thee, O Earth,” the 1953 novel Childhood’s End, and the 1955 short story “The Star.”

Clarke’s image as an authority on realistic science fiction brought him to the attention of American director Stanley Kubrick, who wanted to develop a science fiction movie in the 1960s. Though their eventual partnership was fraught with tension and disagreement, it resulted in a novel and a film, both titled 2001: A Space Odyssey and released in 1968. Like Rendezvous With Rama, published five years later, 2001: A Space Odyssey concerns humanity’s first encounter with an alien civilization. This is a recurring topic in Clarke’s work, which isn’t limited to these two novels but appears as early as short stories he authored in the early 1950s, such as “Encounter in the Dawn” and “The Sentinel.” The latter, published in the short story collection The Nine Billion Names of God (1967), formed the basis for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

In the years between the publication of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Rendezvous With Rama, the US landed on the Moon, so the topic of first contact loomed large in Clarke’s mind, and he continually addressed it. In both 2001: A Space Odyssey and Rendezvous With Rama, living beings don’t represent the alien civilizations; instead, relics merely hint at their ways of life. Both stories drive the sense of mystery that comes with humanity’s attempt to understand their first visitors from the stars. Clarke’s scientific studies and science fiction work suggest that any alien life, if it exists, vastly predates and is far more advanced than humankind.