I, Asimov: A Memoir

by Isaac Asimov

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 055356997X
• ISBN13: 9780553569971
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Delightful reading about a reamarkable man - Highly recommen

I bought this book with some reluctance, I have not read any book by Asimov since I was in College (In Memory Still Green (old book), Nemesis (kind of new book at the time). Supposedley with age I was somewhat a more "sophisticated" reader, whatever that means, and even though I greately regret Asimov's death at the time, I did not feel compelled to buy any more books by him after that time. This Christmas among the several books I bought to spend the Holidays I bought I Asimov, and I did not expect too much since I thought that its fragmented structure, with different topics was kind of haphazard, and just a marketing plot to exploit the author`s fame postmortem. Boy I was wrong!, from all the books I read this past month, this really made an impression, it was like being in the same room with the man himself, and to hear his evaluation of his memories, and his outlook in what his final days would be. Since I was a teenager I enjoyed Asimov`s fiction and nofiction, but I can say that I enjoyed the most when he wrote about himself, and the world he inhabited, I highly appreciated his sincerity, humor, and authenticity. It always warmed me to read about how this boy from very humble origins got to get to the top of the the craft that he so much loved. This was a very emotional book to read, I laughed aloud many times, and shed a tear at some of the last essays. I highly recommend this to anyone who has or has not read Asimov in the past, as an account of a man`s life, his virtues, deffects, accomplishments, and the legacy he left for his family, readers and fellow human beings. Finally, I do not think that the Good Doctor had to worry about being forgotten any time soon, each new genaration that reads any of his books will keep his ideas and dreams alive.

You, Asimov! You, baby! You! You! You!

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.

What an author, what a life!

What a touching book. This is a complex and multi-layered book. This seems only appropriate, as Isaac Asimov was a very complex and multi-layered person. This book is pure Asimov. The bulk of the book is written in 1988 to 1990 when Isaac was just entering the last bout with illness in his incredibly prolific career. This is a book written by Isaac and about Isaac. Humility was never a trait Isaac felt had much usefulness. Isaac was a great Author and an incredibly prolific one. Isaac was a very smart individual and an honest one. This all being said and true why be falsely modest. Isaac certainly didn't see any reason to be. The reader can hardly hold any of this against Asimov as it makes the book that much more enjoyable even when confronted with Isaac's rather radical political views.This book is valuable not only in understanding Isaac but other authors and players in the industry. The book gives insight into Lester Del Rey, Frederik Pohl and many other luminaries of days gone bye. Isaac made no apologies in this book for the things he believed in and even saw fit to lecture us for a chapter or two on the virtues of liberalism. This is ok. I despise most of the tenants of liberalism but this does not affect my respect and affection for Asimov. Isaac truly believed what he said and was consistent and made no apologies for it. I would far rather count as a friend someone who truly disagrees with me then one who agrees but changes his tune constantly. You get the impression from this book that Isaac was a greatly honest man and one who counted loyalty as a valuable thing.The book is long but not boring. The photos in the middle are delightful but to few. The entire book is written by Isaac with the exception of the last chapter which Janet Asimov penned and it gives us a tear jerking story of Isaac's last few months. There is also included an in-depth biography of Isaac's books as an appendix. A very worth while book.

A brilliant end to a brilliant career

"I. Asimov" is a much more personal work than Isaac Asimov's previous autobiographies. Although "In Joy Still Felt" and "In Memory Yet Green" provide the reader with an amazing amount of detail, they don't go much further than to narrate the day-to-day events of the writer's life. If you want to learn something of the inner man behind the writer, this is the book for you.We learn more about his rocky relationship with his mother, the basis for the stereotypically stupid female characters which show up in most of his early works; his relationship with his second wife, the basis for the much more realistic female characters which show up in his later works such as "The Caves of Steel" (which makes me wonder if this is why young men subconsciously prefer the earlier works); his troubles with academia, which he admits were as much his fault as academia's; and of course his famous ego, which at times gets in the way of the story. Even so, I cried at his admission that his son was not all he had hoped for, and rejoiced at his pride in his daughter's accomplishments. I can see how this book might not appeal to a young reader looking for a hero to worship. Asimov isn't an easy character to understand; a combination of insufferable ego and blinding insecurities, of bad luck and incredibly good fortune, of horrendous thoughtlessness and heart-warming kindness. He was an imperfect man and he knew it, and he still loved himself. And good for him.

A great autobiography for a great author!

In reading this book, I (obviously) discovered about Asimov's life. But I also learned about how it impacted his writing and why rather than how he wrote some of his stories. Though he is famed for science-fiction, this autobiography I consider one of his better stories because it is true and he tells it in such a casual manner that you feel like he is there telling you these stories. Some of the thoughts and actions, he tells you makes you wonder, how he became a writer. Asimov makes his story extremely interesting by telling it through his eyes and even though he digress from the topic of the chapter (Which happens a lot), you will not even notice because you will be enjoying his story so much. I loved this book! I found writing every page completely enjoying and think that anyone interested in getting to know the man behind classic science-fiction should read this and discover who they are dealing with. Though the book is over 500 pages, it is split up by man chapters (over 140), which make it easy to sit down and read a few chapters, or find a way to pace yourself by reading a certain amount of chapters per a set time.