What is the origin of the Monolith from Arthur C.Clarke`s 2001,2010,2061 and 3001 Books?

Question

Also anyone knows the name of Alien lifeform that was under the ice on Europa?

Answer 1

The monolith was something thrown in by the director of 2001 the movie (I forget his name) and actually Clarke wrote the book after the screenplay because he was so unhappy with the movie but he keep the monolith for the series.