I.F. Clarke (1918-2009)

British bibliographer and literary scholar I.F. Clarke died November 5, 2009 in a nursing home, following complications from a leg amputation in August. Clarke was an expert in future-war fiction, and his many publications include Voices Prophesying War (1966), the eight-volume British Future Fiction series (2001), and some important bibliographies. With his wife Margaret (who survives him), he produced translations and critical editions of early French science fiction.

Ignatius Frederic “Ian” Clarke, born 1918, worked in military intelligence during WWII. He attended Liverpool University, writing theses on “the Tale of the Future,” and taught at the University of Strathclyde until 1964. He received the Pilgrim Award for distinguished contribution to science fiction studies in 1974, given by the Science Fiction Research Association. His essay “Future-war Fiction: The First Main Phase 1871-1900” won the SFRA’s Pioneer Award in 1997.

See the January issue for a complete obituary.