I. Asimov: A Memoir
£6.90
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.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Bantam USA, Illustrated edition (1 Jan. 1920) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 608 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 055356997X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0553569971 |
| Dimensions | 10.67 x 3.3 x 17.02 cm |
by S.Moore
This was not an autobiography, but a timeline and interesting episodes in the life of Isaac Asimov. He shared the ups and downs, his issues and complications. Also why he wrote some of the books and stories that he did.
Well worth a read especially with the final chapter being added by his wife Janet after his death.
by Speedwell
I really enjoyed this but hey, it was written by Asimov that master writer of Science Fiction etc so I would not expect to do anything else but enjoy reading about his boyhood, his home life, his growing up, and all of it leading to his life as a Science Professor and author. If you’ve not read it I can promise an easy read from an accomplished writer.
by Mike
As Mr Asimov keeps telling us in the book, he’s a great writer . Very readable book. I’m getting through it a lot faster than anything I’ve read recently. Nuff said.
by fhebbert
Totally absorbing account of the people Asimov knew, and of his talks and fame told with an honest lack of self-modesty. Asimov tells it like it is, warts and triumphs. Like the time he thought he was dying, and imagined the standing ovation club members would give in memory of him. He was almost disappointed to survive. No standing ovation.
Famed for his speeches and his writing (453 books), his good-natured relationships with his numerous publishers are full of human interest. Lucky the young editor, just starting a career with a publisher, who found Asimov in her stable. Ditto the family publishing business which secured a contract with him. He had many publishers, depending on his subject.
Asimov doted on his daughter and his second wife, Janet, but is seemingly dismissive of his happy-to-be-unemployed son, whom he supported, apparently without demur. He could afford it. Rights from 453 books increasingly poured in every year until the day he died. And after…
A page-turner from the author of the “Foundation” series and “I, Robot”, not to mention the story rated as the best science-fiction short story of all time, “Nighfall”. Not to mention “Let there be light!”, “The Billiard Ball”, and also not to mention…well, hundreds of others.
by Robert Lomas
I have long been a fan of Asimov’s science fiction and have also enjoyed his non-fiction. He has a clear and deceptively simple style of writing which is appealing and engaging which keeps you turning the pages.
This is one of the last books he wrote and it is wonderful roller-coaster of a read. Asimov tells the story of his life as it was. He makes no bones about not liking to travel and how his hard working childhood gave him a work ethic which never failed until he died.
This book, however, is different from anything else of his that I have read because it deals not just with what he did but it also tells how he felt about people, events and his achievements.
As the stories came closer to modern times and the little content slider showed fewer and fewer pages left to read I found myself rationing how much a read a session in order to make it last. I knew in my mind that it must end with his death but wanted to listen to him musing about life the universe and everything for as long as I could. I finished with a sense of sadness that such a wonderful story teller had writing his closing sentence but inspired by just how much he wrote over
his prolific writing lifetime.
I throughly recommend it to anyone who as ever enjoyed an Asimov book. Thank you Isaac for a magnificent last testament.
by Ed-Dog
I really love Asimov’s books. This is the only autobiography of his I’ve read, I’m aware there are others and in this his doesn’t give a linear account of his life but splits it into topic chapters. The chapters are numerous and brief, bite size and perfect for short bursts. The first third of the book was a bit tedious for me, lots of descriptions of people and Sci fi conventions that I couldn’t care less about if I’m honest. I was more interested in his views on topics other than writing. And there are some really interesting chapters. I can’t complain, he was a writer for his whole life. It turns out I’m less interested in what it is to be a writer and more interested in his views on the future and the world and there’s a lot of the former.
by Amazon Customer
A brilliant, well written book and if you enjoy Asimov’s work you should enjoy this. It was wonderful to learn something about this unique individual. He’s not shy about praising himself but he’s equally at home displaying his faults and foibles. I enjoyed it.
by Grantastic
As Isaac grew older, his memoirs became more and more interesting. He came over initially (whilst a young man) as something of an egotist, but his humility “shone out” as time went one, as he acknowledged his little mistakes and the occasional “insults” he had thrown…………. There is a wonderful little anecdote about Ben Bova visiting him in hospital. That was my favourite section. Because of his references to other writers (whom he held in high esteem), this has led to my exploring books by other authors.