Classic Authors: Isaac Asimov

Although well-known as one of the most prolific science fiction writers of all time, Isaac Asimov published books in many other genre. He explored a wide array of subjects, but became best known for his scientific work. The author produced around 500 books, many of which are still in print today.

Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovici, Russia, sometime around January 2, 1920. The Asimov household consisted of Isaac’s parents, Judah and Anna Rachel, and the three children: Isaac, Marcia and Stanley. The family immigrated to the United States in 1923, settling in Brooklyn, New York. During their first few years in America, Judah worked and saved enough to buy a candy shop. Over the next 40 years, Isaac’s parents owned and operated a succession of shops, always moving residences to be near their current business.

Isaac began his education in New York’s public schools in 1925. He proved to be an apt pupil. He graduated from Boys High School in 1935, then entered Columbia University, from whence he graduated in 1939 with a B.S. in Chemistry. From there, Isaac applied to all five of the state’s medical schools, only to be rejected by each one. He was likewise refused admittance to Columbia’s masters program in Chemistry. Refusing to accept defeat, Isaac convinced the department heads to allow him into the program on probation. He received his M.A. in 1941, After serving in World War II, Isaac returned to earn a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, which he received in 1948. Isaac then taught Biochemistry at Boston University’s School of Medicine from 1949 to 1958, after which he turned to writing full-time.

From an early age, Isaac showed an interest in writing. As a boy, he devoured science fiction magazines, which fed his love of science and literature. When he was 11, Isaac began writing The Greenville Chums at College, which he intended to be a series. However, he quit after eight chapters, deciding that he knew little about his subject matter. He then wrote for his high school newspaper and The Boys High Recorder, the school’s literary magazine. When Isaac was in his late teens, his “Marooned off Vesta” appeared in Amazing Stories on January 10, 1939. Over the next five decades, he produced a large body of work, including his science fiction masterpieces: I, Robot(1950), The Foundation Trilogy(1951-53), The Naked Sun(1957), The Gods Themselves(1972) and Foundation’s Edge(1982). He also produced mysteries, humorous stories, historical books and scholarly texts, as well as numerous articles. Toward the end of his life, he published an autobiography in several volumes, In Memory Yet Green(1979) and In Joy Still Felt(1980).

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