Sam Jordison attended the Clarke Award ceremony last night, and as a result we get a report in The Guardian‘s book blog.
The fans and organisers seemed to share the genuine belief – no doubt inherited from Arthur C Clarke himself – that SF can be a force for good. These books can inspire scientific exploration and discovery as well as amuse and entertain. And that – as someone said – is a worthwhile endeavour in a country where university physics departments are closing because of a lack of interest rather than a lack of funding.
Permit me a small warm and fuzzy moment. If only Sir Arthur had been alive to see it.
Update: And now I see that Alison Flood covered the Clarke too. Wow.
That is indeed a warm and fuzzy thought – although quickly doused in my case by the news (to me) that UK physics departments are closing. On researching this I found that chemistry is in the same situation. How utterly horrifying.