Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) was one of the “Big Three” science fiction writers of his time, as well as one of the most prolific and renowned science fiction authors to this day. His best-known works are those set in the Foundation universe, a futuristic universe involving intergalactic space travel, as well as numerous fictions examining the melding of philosophy and artificial intelligence. Asimov is also a multiple Hugo, Locus, and Nebula award winner, among many other distinctions.

One of the main characteristics of Asimov’s writing is that it is entirely functional– Asimov does not build up characters for the sake of giving them a story, and instead, the characters are always built around the story. This focus on functionality is also reflected by his writing style, which is bare and relies on dialogue instead of action or description to convey the story. These traits have been the subject of much literary critique; nevertheless, Asimov’s literature has brought many abstract and philosophical concepts to light, stimulating both the public audience and scholars.

Asimov claimed that there were only two people he ever met who were more intelligent than him– Carl Sagan (author of Contact) and Marvin Minsky (one of the six fathers of computer science).

Asimov on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov

Last Updated: August ’09

Reviewed Works

Foundation (1951) [K]

Robot Dreams (1986) [K]


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