The Most Important Author of the 20th Century

Who is the most important author of the twentieth century? Why? (Submitted by whatwasleft)

Arthur C. Clarke.

Clarke was member of the “Big 3″ of science fiction along with Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein.

His 2001: A Space Odyssey produced with Stanley Kubrick, was the first serious science fiction movie and paved the way for blockbusters like Star Wars and Close Encounters.

He was knighted in 2000.

He has written over 33 fiction novels, hundreds of short stories and dozens of nonfiction books on a variety of subjects.

The Asimov-Clarke treaty recognizes Clarke as the best science fiction writer in the world.

However, Clarke’s most important contribution was not to the field of science fiction or fiction at all.

Clarke was the first person to conceptualize the geostationary satellite in a paper titled “Extra-Terrestrial Relays — Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?”, published in Wireless World in October 1945, of which our entire modern communication system is dependent on.