ISAAC ASIMOV
Isaac Asimov is not only my favourite science-fiction author, but my favourite author full stop.On this page I have endeavored to gather a little information about this great, wonderful writer. Of course, I can't put everything in here, there is sooooo much to say and know about him. Other people have been friendly enough to do so, you will find the links at the bottom.
"Isaac Asimov, world maestro of science-fiction, was born in Russia near Smolensk in 1920 and brought to the United States by his parents three years later. He grew up in Brooklyn where he went to grammar school and at the age of eight he gained his citizen papers. A remarkable memory helped him finish high school before he was sixteen. He then went on to Columbia University and resolved to become a chemist rather than follow the medical career his father had in mind for him. He graduated in chemistry and after a short spell in the Army he gained his doctorate in 1949 and qualified as an instructor in Biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine where he became Associate Professor in 1955, doing research in nucleic acid. Increasingly, however, the pressures of chemical research conflicted with his aspirations in the literary field, and in 1958 he retired to full-time authorship while retaining his connection with the University.
Asimov's fantastic career as a science fiction writer began in 1939 with the appearance of a short story, Marooned off Vesta, in Amazing Stories. Thereafter he became a regular contributor to the leading SF magazines of the day including Astounding, Astonishing Stories, Super Science Stories and Galaxy. He won the Hugo Award four times and the Nebula Award once. With over three hundred books to his credit and several hundred articles, Asimov's output was prolific by any standards. Apart from his many world-famous science fiction works, Asimov also wrote highly successful detective mystery stories, a four volume History of North America, a two-volume Guide to the Bible, a biographical dictionary, encyclopaedias, textbooks and an impressive list of books on many aspects of science, as well as two volumes of autobiography.
Isaac Asimov died in 1992 at the age of 72."
quoted from the inside cover by Harper Collins
Well, so much about Isaac Asimov. There are myriad places on the net where you can find out more about him, check my links below. I would much rather talk about his books. I have quite a few, but by far not all, or even close to all. I am proud owner of his Elijah Baily books, some books from the Empire series, all his Foundation books, and some of his short story collections, like The Complete Robot, Winds of Change, Nightfall and other stories, and then some.
To me, his books are perfect for relaxing after a long hard day, because they have a wonderful way of taking me out of my reality, creating a completely new one that I can be totally immersed in.
Soon, I will add some more information about his great works, as well as ratings on them. Bear with me until I have collected it all.
Links
| Isaac Asimov Files | A very good Asimov site. Here you can find audio files, graphics on the contents of his books, articles by and about him and more. The page design is also superb, worth a look all by itself. |
| Asimov FAQ | This is the first page of a four-part-FAQ. The four pages are in plain text, but the server seems to be a little on the slow side. At least, that was the case when I checked out the site. Mind you, they contain not only heaps, but mountains of info about Isaac Asimov. They are really worth checking out, this first page links to the other three. |
| Quotes by Asimov | This is only a short page, but I like it. It contains quotes attributed to Asimov. My favourite one is: "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny...'" | There are several more to come, but I want to check them out first. Bear with me and check back soon. |
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Last Update: December, 15th 1998 by Tina
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