I.Asimov: A Memoir [Paperback]

Isaac Asimov (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 1, 1995

Arguably the greatest science fiction writer who ever lived, Isaac Asimov also possessed one of the most brilliant and original minds of our time. His accessible style and far-reaching interests in subjects ranging from science to humor to history earned him the nickname "the Great Explainer." I. Asimov is his personal story--vivid, open, and honest--as only Asimov himself could tell it.

Here is the story of the paradoxical genius who wrote of travel to the stars yet refused to fly in airplanes; who imagined alien universes and vast galactic
civilizations while staying home to write; who compulsively authored more than 470 books yet still found the time to share his ideas with some of the great
minds of our century. Here are his wide-ranging thoughts and sharp-eyed observations on everything from religion to politics, love and divorce, friendship and Hollywood, fame and mortality. Here, too, is a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the varied personalities--Campbell, Ellison, Heinlein, Clarke, del Rey, Silverberg, and others--who along with Asimov helped shape science fiction.

As unique and irrepressible as the man himself, I. Asimov  is the candid memoir of an incomparable talent who entertained readers for nearly half a
century and whose work will surely endure into the future he so vividly envisioned.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The long-awaited autobiography of the science fiction master. Filled with his opinions and insights on topics ranging from his own genius and his fear of flying to politics, love, mortality, Hollywood, and religion. Non-fiction.

From Publishers Weekly

Although larded with thin filler material, Asimov's uneven posthumous autobiography also contains some of his liveliest, most incisive writing. The prolific SF novelist and nonfiction author, who died in 1992, discusses working in his father's candy store during the Depression, his unhappy first marriage and bitter divorce, his fulfilling second marriage and his dislike of children, which did not inhibit him from fathering a son and a daughter. We also learn of Asimov's fear of high places, his claustrophilia (his penchant for enclosed, artificially lit places), his compulsion to be prolific and the heart disease of his final years. Filled with cameos of well-known science fiction writers and editors, the narrative is peppered with Asimov's freewheeling thoughts on the Bible, teenagers, Sherlock Holmes, death, censorship and much else. Fans will enjoy his entertaining conversational mix of puckish humor, verve and self-revelation. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; First Paperback Edition edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055356997X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553569971
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.3 x 4.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb, ultimately sad, memoir. February 14, 2002

By Augustus Caesar, Ph.D.

Format:Paperback

"I, Asimov" was the penultimate book to pour from the pen of Isaac Asimov. During a career that lasted over five decades, Asimov wrote on more topics than virtually any other writer in literary history. From the sciences to history and Shakespeare to the Bible, his clear, concise writing style and ability to simplify even the most complex ideas earned him the nickname "The Great Explainer." His fiction, with the exception of his early Foundation novels, "The Gods Themselves" and some shorter pieces, consisted largely of filler. Nonetheless, by the time of his death, he was quite possibly the most famous SF writer of his time.

Asimov's first volumes of autobiography were published in 1979 and 1980. As his health declined and the end drew near, his wife, Janet, encouraged him to write a third volume, less explanatory and more introspective. He obliged. "I, Asimov" lacks the surface detail of the early memoirs, but is rich in thought, emotion and self-revelation. The man that emerges from these pages was witty, intelligent, kind, loyal and genuinely devoted to sharing his knowledge and talents with others. He could also be vain and arrogant, but he is so honest about these less-attractive attributes that the reader is willing to forgive him anything.

There is a cloud of nostalgia and approaching death that hangs over most of "I, Asimov." The book was written when the author knew he didn't have long to live, and the book reflects that state of mind. In the end, however, it is uplifting and optimistic rather than depressing and gloom-ridden. What keeps me from giving it a full five stars is the rather dull middle section, which is significantly less interesing than the beginning and ending. The first 150 pages of the book are particularly unputdownable. All in all, this is a superb memoir and well-worth reading. I highly recommend it.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You, Asimov! You, baby! You! You! You! November 4, 2000

By absent_minded_prof

Format:Paperback

Isaac Asimov was just The Man, plain and simple. This book is a collection of dozens of little 2-4 page essays, dealing with myriad personal topics in his life, which amounts to a history of the very field of science fiction, in a lot of ways. He gives his account of his dealings with a lot of the other luminaries in the field -- Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Hal Clement, Lester del Ray, and lots of others. These accounts are always interesting, and often full of helpful little insights into the characters of other science fiction writers.

One interesting thing -- he says that he had no ability at all to be a critic, in the sense that he couldn't criticize his own work, or anyone elses. He knew if he liked it or not, but that's as far as it went. For me, that was probably the most telling little essay in the whole book. The only author in history to have authored books classified in every single section of the Dewey Decimal system, one of the most prolific writers EVER, simply had no inner critic. He just wrote, and wrote, and wrote. Anyone else out there who finds that interesting, and possibly helpful to them somehow, might want to check out "Writing Without Teachers" by Peter Elbow, or, relatedly, "Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. (Yes, I'm serious about the spelling of that guy's name).

You also get a clear sense of Isaac Asimov's strong sense of self-respect, and his fundamental optimism about humanity, and his warmth. I'm glad his voice is still out there, on the printed page, reaching more people even after he has passed on.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I, Author October 9, 2001

By Andrew McCaffrey VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

You can tell that Isaac Asimov really enjoys talking about himself. But that's quite all right because his enthusiasm is contagious. Divided into scores of essays three to four pages each, this book is a series of thoughts and reminisces that hold a basic chronological order, but skip around occasionally to properly place things into the perspective that he viewed them from at the time of his writing. Asimov offers frank views on a variety of topics, ranging from his days in the army to his two marriages to his fellow science-fiction writers.

This is a very appealing collection of remembrances of a life that saw not just a lot of science fiction history and world events, but also of personal growth. While there is a certain amount of repetition here, it works insofar as a person's life does involve a lot of revisiting the same paths. Asimov says himself in the book that he hadn't really done a lot of things in his life. He didn't travel and he spent most of his life inside his apartment typing away at his keyboard. "Didn't you notice," he once asked someone who had read and enjoyed his first two volumes of autobiographies, "that nothing happened?" That the events described are not world-shattering is hardly a detriment to this book. The witty and intelligent manner in which he describes even simple, everyday events is what makes this so engaging.

Asimov's life was consumed by his writing, and, not surprisingly, most of this book focuses on the hundreds of other books he wrote. He describes in detail how many books he had written, how many he had edited, how many he had co-written. It was an obsession that he did not hide or feel ashamed about. He was proud of his many accomplishments in the literary field and felt no reason not to boast when he thought he deserved it. (There is an amusing anecdote in which due to a last minute cancellation, he ends up unaware that he will be presenting an award to himself. Afterwards, he asks the organizers why they chose him for the task and they replied that he was the only person they knew who wouldn't feel embarrassed about giving himself an award.) The history of Asimov is the history of his writing, and the book details the numerous encounters and adventures that he had with various editors and publishing houses. His passion for writing and the lengths he went through make for surprisingly fascinating reading.

Asimov was apparently fairly ill while he writing this book (he wrote with astonishing speed) though one would not realize that at first if one hadn't read the introduction. Only a few hints are dropped through the beginning and middle of the book as Asimov seems slightly weary describing things that he knows he will never repeat or finish. By the end of the book, Asimov describes some of the ills that have weakened his body. He also expounds on his philosophies of life and death. Despite what he knows he is facing, he comes across as being calm and rational about his impending death.

Knowing that Asimov died shortly after completing this book made the ending seem even more heartbreaking. Although I had never met the man, I felt as though I had lost a friend. The clarity of his writing is quite good at making the reader feel close to the man; his thoughts aren't hidden behind any deceitful or misleading prose. He was a master at making himself crystal clear and the world will and does miss him. A highly recommended memoir of a great writer.