Let’s not just give credit to the sole individual is an amazing commentator on many different topics revolving around literature but he wouldn’t be remembered if it wasn’t for his outstanding publishing label printing those texts And rejuvenating the youth
I had the Great Honor of meeting Dr. Asimov twice. He gave me his card, at my request. I wrote him often to which he responded personally. My first exposer to his writing was Lucky Starr. I found the entire series except one. After reading almost his whole Robot series. I wrote to Dr. Asimov telling him I was going off to College because of him and him alone. I also told him that my Asimov collection which waa 300+ was incomplete without Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn. Oh well. 3 weeks after that I received a manila envelope inside with a personally autographed copy of Lucky Star and the rings of Saturn. I Will Always Love You Isaac rest in peace
“Violence is the last resort of the incompetent”, it is this quote from the Foundation series that made me look in the mirror and change my attitude in life. So simple, yet so brilliant.
@@TheWolfsnack ~ That was his son David. Weren't you paying attention? Issac Asimov may have been a bottom pinching harasser of young women at his conventions but he wasn't a pedophile. He was an asshole for what he did but he wasn't what you are trying to paint him as.
“The work of each individual contributes to a totality, and so becomes an undying part of the totality. That totality of human lives-past and present and to come-forms a tapestry that has been in existence now for many tens of thousands of years and has been growing more elaborate and, on the whole, more beautiful in all that time. Even the Spacers are an offshoot of the tapestry and they, too, add to the elaborateness and beauty of the pattern. An individual life is one thread in the tapestry and what is one thread compared to the whole? Daneel, keep your mind fixed firmly on the tapestry and do not let the trailing off of a single thread affect you.”
True Story: When I was a kid in the late 70s, I wrote Asimov through his publisher to tell him how much I loved his books- especially the science and Sci Fi ones. I said that if I ever wrote a book myself, I would dedicate it to him. Lo and behold, he wrote a postcard back to me saying he was thankful for my note and that he didn't want me to 'forget that dedication' because he 'likes to see his name in print'. Ahh, the wonderful Isaac Asimov!
I love that quote about "your ignorance" vs "my knowledge"-so true. Another one I appreciate in this current world we are in is :"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan
But the most uneducated religious conservatives who believe in Young Earth Creationism and think the Bible is literal and written by Jesus himself also think they are knowledgable and that college educated evolutionary biologists are the ignorant ones.
Grace Lozada I didn’t say ALL religious people were like that. You’re using a strawman argument to try and imply that I said all religious people are stupid. The smartest person I’ve ever met was the most religious person I’ve ever met. And the kindest people I’ve met were all mostly religious people. Look up the “Dunning-Krueger effect”, that’s all I’m pointing out in my original comment.
@@gracel316 "everyone is entitled to opion but not fact" . What is said was fact for most of the religion, "most of " itself is a defination of genralization. Everything that does'nt suit you or offend you don't count as ignorance.
I discovered Asimov in my early teens, and his writing inspired me to a most eclectic life. I am now in my mid-sixties, with a wealth of grand adventures and an unstoppable thirst for learning. I credit Asimov, the author and human being, for inspiration. Thanks for this Biography.
I discovered I. Asimov’s books as a teenager as well (I’m now in my 40s) and it opened my mind and imagination. His books are so easy to read and understand that they are a delight to read.
I discovered I. Asimov’s books as a teenager as well and it opened my mind and imagination. His books are so easy to read and understand that they are a delight to read. I’m now in my 40s, so if someone in his 30s and someone in his 20s would comment, we would get a nice continuum.
I had undiagnosed dyslexia while in school but I learned to read because of Asimov and Clarke. They became a very fortunate addiction for me. I even tried using factor analysis (a statistical method somewhat like psychohistory) in my doctoral research. I recommend Asimov's books on mathematics for anyone struggling with math or algebra. They sure helped me. Much of who I am, is Asimov's fault. ;-)
I picked up Foundation on a whim on Audible to listen to during my all nighters at work and was instantly enthralled with its premise, characters, and world. A masterpiece in every sense of the word written by a genius and master at his craft. So good.
I wish . But right on. Be damn hard to make a movie of it . Dune was pretty ordinary . But a weird concept to begin with . You had to be stoned to enjoy I guess
I think that I learned to be a better person, because of Asimov, Heinlein, and Hurbert. They replaced absentee parent, a broken educational system, and the void left by my mother's excommunication from our church. They gave me a lifelong love of science,The ability to overcome my reading difficulty, and Hope! Hope that there was going to be a future. I learned how to be smart lazy from Heinlein. I thought that robots were definitely in my future, from Asimov. And, got my first dark inkling that the War on Drugs, was to a militarized police force, from Hurbert. They gave me a healthy cynicism about everything ! And a show me kinda trust, word can deceive, actions speak louder. The first big kid book I ever read, was Lost Race of Mars by Robert Silverberg. I was hooked. Stranger in a Strange Land, was good prep for Foundation. I have tried to convince other profs to use Sci/Fi as a means of looking at issues that would be difficult to examine, if used in a "Real World"context. Sci/Fi isolates the problem. Then we can dissect it freely. Also, it calms the fear that you are other. Being other usually ends up being the best!
@@dannymccune1888 That would be Herbert. "He indicated a chairdog against the wall to his right, snapped his fingers. The semi-sentient artifact glided to a position behind McKie. "Please be seated." McKie, his caution realerted by Bolin's reference to "uninhibited conversation," sank into the chairdog, patting it until it assumed the contours he wanted." From The Tactful Saboteur.
Heinlein strikes me as a poor role model for someone aspiring to be a better person. I did read his famous work, but his own values, which are inserted throughout the book, were a turnoff. I never read another of his.
@@GH-oi2jf well, I can live without the sexism and homophobia. Given the times he lived in. Time Enough for Love, just had an enormous impact on me. 666, the Number of the beast, was a flight of fancy that heals my heart.
Ray Bradbury did exactly the same for me. I'm embarrassed to admit, especially here, that I've never read any Asimov, although I've been hearing people talk about his work all my life. I intend to remedy this asap. Another writer that I want to investigate properly is Philip K Dick. Everyone has been exposed to his work, because his stories have been turned into very successful films, but I have never actually read any of his books.
When I was young I wrote a letter to Isaac Asimov and he wrote back. In my letter I wrote, "If you "live to learn", as you said in one of your books, why do you write science fiction?" He sent me a postcard in return and replied on it in a sloppy typewritten form, "You can learn from everything and anything, and in the case of writing science fiction, you can learn how to express yourself more clearly." I've lost the card, but that's basically what he wrote to me, and he signed the postcard too. It doesn't bother me that I lost the card, because I don't hold much value to historical artifacts. The only other person I ever wrote to was "The Fonz" and all I got back from him was a photo of him holding out his thumbs. I much prefer Asimov's response.
One of my biggest heroes. Rest In Peace Mr.Asimov. You gave us incredible alternative realities to sooth our souls from this crazy place. You have my eternal gratitude.
A truly brilliant man.. I've read the foundation series every 2-3 years since the late 80's 🤓 Sadly it is getting hard to find him in the 2nd hand bookshops but a few years back I found a copy of " The stars in their courses" A fascinating book. Always felt that he got the "violence is the last resort of the incompetent" line wrong as violence tends to be the first resort.
@Brett Mitchell That's a little harsh. I read it in my teens and found it wonderful, then reread it many years later and thought, "meh." So it has an audience.
My best takeaway from the Foundation Series was the non-use of violence unless in self defence. As Asimov stated "Violence is the last resort of the incompetent".
After some market stalls had packed up for the day , I found - Isaac Asimov - The winds of change , just lying on the ground. I picked it up , read it in one night , and never looked back.Changed my life. I now never have a book out of my hand. Asimov is my sci-fi hero.🚀
Asimov and Tolkien were both the fathers of their respective genres. They're legends and to call one better than the other shows one's ignorance to their significance.
He wrote “The Sensuous Dirty Old Man”, a response to “ The Sensuous woman”. I loved him even more after that. My father introduced me to his Science Fiction when I was young, but it was amazing that he had a wonderful, twisted humor.
I was lucky enough to have been a voracious reader through my teens, and I idolized Asimov. He was responsible for my introduction to chemistry and physics through his popular science series of books. His writing is among the best. An exceptionally clear mind.
Science Fiction starts from Asimov. Robotics is Asimov. One man gave us what we think of science fiction today . For horror Lovecraft, then the world followed . For science fiction there is only Asimov. Thank you @Biographics
I named my son Isaac after Asimov, but SF started from H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. Asimov was one of the "big three" of the golden age of scifi in mid 20th century.
Some interesting trivia. The word 'robot' actually comes from a Czech word for 'forced labor' and was introduced into English through a book "Rossom's universal Robots" in the 1920's.
Delightful vignette on one of my childhood and teen writing heroes (flaws and all, much like Roddenbery) Octavia Butler and Ray Bradbury would ALSO be fascinating subjects....🤗🤗
My dad had a few Asimov books so when I was growing up, I'd read them. Even as a very young child with minimal reading comprehension abilities, the stories fascinated me and when read them again years later, they were even better
Nicely written Arnaldo! (I especially like the way respect and a healthy view of others is highlighted in the show. It can't be taken for granted that all who are watching know what is right and what is wrong when it comes to the treatment of others. You've stated it tactfully and in a straightforward manner.)
Hey Simon, if you are ever looking for any Irish historical figures for St. Patrick's day then here's a few suggestions- Thomas Andrews(1873-1912) Dr James Barry or Margaret Bulkley(1789-1865) Lilian Bland(1878-1971) Brian Boru(941-1014) Robert Boyle(1627-1691) William Brown or Guillermo brown or Almirante Brown(1777-1857) Gay Byrne(1934-2019) Sir Roger Casement(1864-1916) Thomas J. Clarke(1858-1916)- Agnes Clerke(1842-1907)l Michael Collins(1890-1922)-m Saint Columba or Colum Cille(521-597)- James Connolly(1868-1916) Edward Despard(1751-1803) Anne Devlin(1780-1851) Margaretta or Margaret Eager(1863-1936) Mary Elmes(1908-2002) Robert Emmet(1778-1803) 'Silken' Thomas Fitzgerald(1513-1537) Betsy Gray(died 1798) Patrick Lafcadia Hearn or Koizumi Yakumo(1850-1904) Chaim Herzog(1918-1997) James Joyce(1882-1941) Sir Hugh Lane(1875-1915) James Larkin(1878-1947)l C.S. Lewis(1898-1963) Juan or Kuhn Mackenna(1771-1814) Terence MacSwiny(1879-1920) Annette Elizabeth Mahon(1918-2013) Constance Markievicz(1868-1927) Bernadette Devlin McAliskey(1947-present) Thomas Francis Meagher(1823-1867) Annie Moore(1874-1924) Turlough O'Carolan(1670-1738) Daniel O'Connell(1775-1843) Hugh O'Flaherty(1897-1963)l Gráinne Ní Mháilleor or Grace O'Malley(1530-1603) Hugh O'Neill(1550-1616) Peter O'Toole(1932-2013) Charles Stewart Parnell(1946-1891) Padraig or Patrick Pearse(1879-1916) Jeremiah O'Donavan Rossa(1831-1915) - Mary Ryan(1873-1961) Bobby Sands(1954-1981) Ernest Shackleton(1874-1922) George Bernard Shaw(1856-1950) Francis Sheehy-Skeffington(1878-1916) Jonathan Swift(1667-1745) Theobald Wolfe Tone(1763-1798) Eamon de Valera(1882-1975)- Ernest Walton(1903-1995) Arthur Wellesley(1769-1852) William Butler Yeats(1865-1939) And for April fools day you should do Nat Tate and for pride month you should do Judy Garland. Anyway great video, as always. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for featuring one of my favorite authors. Aside from his sci-fi books, I also enjoyed his mystery books. I mourned when I learned of his passing as I have never mourned any other celebrities' passing. Thankfully, his books are still a source of solace, comfort, and celebration.
I think "Nightfall" was the first Asimov story I read. He and Heinlein were among my first SF reads. This was about 50+ years ago. I still go back to them now and then. :o) I can remember going to Sci-Fi conventions (started going in the late 70s) and being warned about Asimov. I actually saw him from afar, but had no desire to go up to him (more because I was shy than anything anyone said about him).
I didn't know he groped women though...I can't say that that was remotely ok. Sigh. I still like and admire him, but I'm disappointed about that item. Nobody's perfect.😐
@@grmpEqweer Read "The Sensuous Dirty Old Man" by "Dr. A". Yes, Asimov was rather sexist and something of an MCP, but at least he realized his shortcomings and made fun of them.
I saw Asimov speak at a packed University theater in 1982 - he was very entertaining and even more so when a group of born-again Christians in the audience took issue with him during a Q&A at the end. One young man demanded: “Mr. Asimov why do you claim you could never be a Christian?” to which he replied “because I was born a Jew!” - and the whole theater exploded in laughter. The red faced man continued: “Why then Mr. Asimov do you know nothing of the Bible?” to which he replied “I once wrote a two volume study of the Bible” - more laughter.
One correction to your wonderful piece, the job in Philadelphia was not because he was drafted but to keep him from being drafted. Other SF authors, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Sprage DeCamp, and Fred Pohl were also involved. The positions were set up my Naval Academy graduate Heinlein. Asimov was drafted after the end of hostilities to serve as a clerk/typist to help with demobilization. He applied for and received a discharge to return to his studies at Columbia. See: In Memory Still Green, the first volume of his autobiography.
*“The work of each individual contributes to a totality, and so becomes an undying part of the totality. That totality of human lives-past and present and to come-forms a tapestry that has been in existence now for many tens of thousands of years and has been growing more elaborate and, on the whole, more beautiful in all that time. Even the Others are an offshoot of the tapestry and they, too, add to the elaborateness and beauty of the pattern. An individual life is one thread in the tapestry and what is one thread compared to the whole? You, keep your mind fixed firmly on the tapestry and do not let the trailing off of a single thread affect you.”*
I've been an Asimov fan since I've been a kid in the 60s. I've read almost everything, and even have an autographed autobiography I got when I saw him speak in the 1980s. Yet I still enjoyed your video and learned new things about the greatest Science Fiction writer of all time.. Great job and thanks for making it!
“The work of each individual contributes to a totality, and so becomes an undying part of the totality. That totality of human lives-past and present and to come-forms a tapestry that has been in existence now for many tens of thousands of years and has been growing more elaborate and, on the whole, more beautiful in all that time. Even the Spacers are an offshoot of the tapestry and they, too, add to the elaborateness and beauty of the pattern. An individual life is one thread in the tapestry and what is one thread compared to the whole? Daneel, keep your mind fixed firmly on the tapestry and do not let the trailing off of a single thread affect you.”
A major component of Asimov's output: interpreter of science for the layman. One day not too long ago, I was having supper in a restaurant and reading an article about neutrinos in a science magazine. Returning from the restroom, I found my waitress poring over the article. (OK, it was a slack time.) In a brief conversation, I found out that she was an art major but fascinated by science. Returning home, I logged on to a cheap online bookstore and found a listing for "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science" by Dr Asimov. Now, this book is about 60 years out of date, but it has held up very well. You won't find anything about dark energy or quarks or DNA, but what is in it is sound and endlessly fascinating. So, I ordered a copy of it and gave it to the young woman on my next visit to her restaurant. She was overwhelmed. But, hey we nerds must stick together.
Asimov was an absolute god of science fiction (my favorite entertainment subject) and the Foundation series is definitely my favorite of the bunch. I've read the entire series multiple times and would easily do it again. Of course, I kinda hated the decision he made that was revealed in the last book, Foundation and Earth, which basically brings decisions of events in the entire series into question and potentially making everything pointless, but still a great series none the less.
“People think of education as something that they can finish. And what’s more, when they finish, it’s a rite of passage. You’re finished with school. You’re no more a child, and therefore anything that reminds you of school - reading books, having ideas, asking questions - that’s kid’s stuff. Now you’re an adult, you don’t do that sort of thing any more. You have everybody looking forward to no longer learning, and you make them ashamed afterward of going back to learning. If you have a system of education using computers, then anyone, any age, can learn by himself, can continue to be interested. If you enjoy learning, there’s no reason why you should stop at a given age. People don’t stop things they enjoy doing just because they reach a certain age. What’s exciting is the actual process of broadening yourself, of knowing there’s now a little extra facet of the universe you know about and can think about and can understand. It seems to me that when it’s time to die, there would be a certain pleasure in thinking that you had utilized your life well, learned as much as you could, gathered in as much as possible of the universe, and enjoyed it. There’s only this one universe and only this one lifetime to try to grasp it. And while it is inconceivable that anyone can grasp more than a tiny portion of it, at least you can do that much. What a tragedy just to pass through and get nothing out of it.” ― Isaac Asimov
To : Issac Asimov from Robbie Robert Wayne Dukes. I said all that to say all this: To never have met you in person, you / your books have had the most profound impact on my life. I’m now 70 years old Sometimes, I would take a commuter’s bus (I think I was about 10😊 / 14 years old) - cost a dollar - to the station and walk to the Atlanta Public Library and take a look around (my first trip there) and decided on a science fiction book. “I Robot”. Now, I build them … thanks!
Master Simon, as someone who cannot abide wanton ignorance, thank you for the Asimov quote that, “Our Democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” I will treasure it‼️ Much L♥️VE You, Your Lovely Wife, whom I personally hope to see on here sometime and of course the Whole of Team Biographics‼️‼️‼️♥️♥️♥️💫💫💫✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼🚀🚀🚀🚅🚅🚅🎖🎖🎖🥃🥃🥃
For me, it began in Jr. High with the Foundation Series. One of the last books I read by Asimov was his complete re-write of "Fantastic Voyage". He had such a gift.
I can't tell you how happy I was to see the Good Doctor as the topic of another excellent Biographics video. I first heard of Isaac Asimov from my high school boyfriend, but I misunderstood him and thought he said "I Zachasimov is a really good writer." So I was looking for him in various libraries at the totally wrong end of the alphabet! It was only one day, browsing books on a carousel type bookcase, where they were not in alphabetical order, that I saw the name "Isaac Asimov". I literally did a double-take and kicked myself for not realising my mistake earlier. I picked up the book, which happened to be "I, Robot" and upon reading it I knew I'd found a author whom I would love for the rest of my life. His writing was so straightforward, the emphasis was always on the plot and very cleanly written, with no unnecessary verbosity. I didn't realise how old he was, as his writing always seemed so fresh and obviously futuristic. His death came as a complete shock to me. Strange to think that both he and Freddie Mercury were taken by AIDS, just 5 months apart. The family agreed to keep his diagnosis secret for ten years due to the stigma surrounding the disease, which is hard to overstate at the time. If only he had lived a little longer, he might have been able to benefit from the medical treatments that allow victims of this infection to live a virtually normal life and lifespan today. What a tragedy, and what great works the world has missed out on! We can only be grateful that he left such a prolific volume of works behind him.
As a writer myself, I will share my personal experience on the most difficult part of writing; it isn't starting; it isn't even writing at all. For someone who loves to write, those parts are easy. The most difficult part of writing is coming up with truly compelling, original ideas. By that I mean, not just ideas that you enjoy writing about, but ideas that other people enjoy reading about; ideas that haven't been explored; or ideas that offer a new and enlightening perspective. It's easy to write. But writing something that has real value for humanity, or something that will truly stand the test of time (like Foundation); very few people can actually do that, ergo it is the most difficult part of writing. To simplify, the most difficult part of writing is coming up with something good. You see it all the time in a lot of modern works, they tick off all the flavors of the month, but they fail to leave an aftertaste that cements their longevity.
Asimov is my favorite science fiction author. The Foundation books are a marvel and cemented his place in this bibliophile's heart. I cried when I learned of his death. Even with all the books I've read over my life, no one has supplanted Asimov as my favorite author.
Asimov's Foundation series was probably among the best SF books ever written. With his "Black Widowers" series he proved to be a master of the mystery literature, too. His books on history and general science alone would have made him one of the greatest authors of this genre; he managed to make science fun and accessible to the every-man. And, on top of all that, a master in the art of the naughty limerick!
Here is something that most people (probably) don't know. _[WikiPedia]_ The word "robot" comes from Karel Čapek's play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) written in 1920 in the Czech language and first performed in 1921. Performed in New York 1922 and an English edition published in 1923. In the play, the word refers to artificially created life forms.[1] Named robots in the play are Marius, Sulla, Radius, Primus, Helena, and Damon. The play introduced and popularized the term "robot". Čapek's robots are biological machines that are assembled, as opposed to grown or born. I read these books before finding the ones that Dr. Asimov wrote. Needless to say, I was hooked and read (as far as I know) _all_ of his works of fiction and quite a lot of his non-fiction works as well over the years. I consider him to be an author without peer, a unique person and a wonderful human being.
My favorite author of all time. Thanks....and thanks for pointing out at the end why he was my favorite author. Anti intellectualism will kill us all. Something Asimov clued me in on back in the 60's.
One of my all time favorite fiction writers! One of the big disappointments in my life was back in 1992 when I was volunteering for a writing festival and he had agreed to appear, but then passed away. Fortunately we got the consolation prize of all consolation prizes (if you can say that in a non-pejorative way) when Ray Bradbury agreed to fill in and I had the great good fortune to meet him. So it was a lose one, win one situation.
Thanks for this video which I enjoyed. I have read Asimov for most of my life, now 66, and enjoyed the Sci-Fi, Mystery, Fantasy, Factual, ... to the extent that it became a fun part of my life exploring used book stores for his works. My collection of book and ephemera now exceeds 500 items! I actually have a copy of "Five and Five and One" Preliminary Treaty from the Boston collection that is referred to in this video where, in Isaac's own hand, it reads "Nothing ever came of this because McCartney couldn't recognise good stuff". I visited the archive back in 2003 whilst on holiday and recommend anyone interested in Asimov to do so.
Fascinating. As always an excellent job, Simon and company. Isaac Asimov was the commencement speaker when I graduated from college. I remember hearing about the fear of flying but never really understood anything else. I've always been a voracious reader but it took until the 2000's before I read the foundation trilogy. Good stuff. I also remember meeting release being in the same room as Arthur C Clarke. He came to some lecture that we had, he just came to hear the lecture I really don't remember who gave the talk. I can picture the room but that's about it.
I read Tolkien as a child and still re-read him to this day. He would have to be my favourite fantasy writer. I discovered Asimov much later (in my 30s) and while I enjoyed his science fiction, the writing style isn't as polished. I feel he had a lot to say and didn't want to waste time making it pretty. What I love most about Asimov is his non-fiction. He was an absolutely brilliant science communicator. He could take any difficult subject and break it down into understandable pieces, then knit those pieces into an amusing and coherent narrative that fostered comprehension. His early death was a great loss.
Arnoldo, this was an excellent script. I am an immense fan of Asimov and I suspect the same can be said for you. If you are not and you wrote this with a cursory examination of Asimov's life, then your sources were excellent. You emphasised complicated themes and summarized Foundations' plot and themes. More importantly you captured Asimov's brilliance with an superlative collection of quotes that highlight the ontological and epistemological questions skillfully woven into Foundation and fundamentally the 3 laws. Thank you for this script and to the venerable Simon for his wonderful presentation.
I was privileged to meet him briefly at an event in 1975. While not quite 20, I’d already read many of his books, including the Foundation. It was a thrill to be in the presence of such genius.
I first became familiar with Asimov through his short science fiction stories. While I always enjoyed his sci-fi stories, I really became a fan when I started reading his historical novels. I so enjoyed how he began at the very beginning of the development of the area he was writing about e.g. Centennial, Texas, Chesapeake, and Hawaii. I suppose the historical elements of his stories touched me more than the unreality of sci-fi. Whenever I would come to the end of one of his novels, I wanted the story of the people and places he wrote of to go on and on. When he died in 1992, I was heartbroken over the fact he would never be able to write another anything. He is still missed these 28 years later. RIP Isaac. Thank you for his personal story.
puncheex2 Oh my goodness you are so right. I don’t know where my head was at when I wrote that. Well, Mitchner is also gone and I will miss never getting to read another book by him and stories by Asimov. Thanks for the heads up.
Thank you for the video. i Robot will always be my fav, till the end of time. When he wrote Susan Calvin, it was a genius Robopsychologist character, but sadly died at the age of 82. He could have made a clone of her at some stage, but perhaps it's for the better. Nothing last forever. Peace :-)
The first science fiction story I read was in a school book when I was 8. It was 'The Fun They Had'. When schools went remote for the pandemic, I thought of that story.
Hey I love your videos! I was wondering if you could do a video on Vyacheslav Skriabin aka Molotov? He was pretty interesting to me and I'm actually something like his great great great niece (weird thing to brag about I guess) and while my family has passed down a few stories about him (which are pretty cool and I'd be happy to share them) I want to know more about him even though he didn't do good things and got a lot of people killed. Family is interesting (especially when you see the freaky resemblance on that side of the family). Thanks for all the knowledge and cool videos!
Asimov, Heinlen and Clarke were the trio that started and still keep my SF fascination. Rereading is like reading them for the first time, there's so much detail you always miss something.
I have not read the Foundation books, but I will plan to read them as soon as possible. Just based on the summary sounds like the foundation box examine a lot of the same ideas that Frank Herbert explored in the Dune books.
and, he lived here, in my city, Albany (maybe Schenectady), NY or, at least visited often but definitely wrote a column in the local newspaper, until very close to his death. He, Carl Sagan, and Kurt Vonegut used to attend the Institute in Rennselaerville, which is actually very close to my hometown. Odd to think that such great writers were all so close, so often yet I had no idea.
Read a collection of his short stories a couple years back. Some of them were so profound, so creative, so full of untouchable imagination I laughed and cried. I wish I had a 10th of the man's genius and imagination.
My favorite interview of Asimov is with Dr. Ruth the sex psychologist. It’s very saucy and funny. He’s one of my favorite authors and such an inspiration.
Now I love this channel a whole lot, but I would like to see more African-American biographies like Hazel Scott, Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, etc. especially since it’s black history month. Thanks ❤️
I once saw him, in my hometown, in about the 60's, I kick myself for not introducing myself to him. He loved Northern New England,, and visited often. I even read his autobiography, all three volumes, all 3" thick.
The only Isaac Asimov book I have is the history of the Roman Empire but I find his Sci-Fi concepts such as the "Three Laws of Robotics" interesting. I also hope his predictions of the future come true.
To this day, I still collect old issues of his anthologies whenever I happen upon them in used book stores. I've loved his work, fantasies unbound by the mundanities of reality.
Is it just me or do you guys like Asimov's 'Prelude to Foundation' and 'Forward the Foundation' more than the actual following 'Foundation' trilogy? I found 'Foundation' to be bland (but interesting) as it wasn't as character driven - that goes for the following books as well. I love Hari and Dors, without their relationship in the following books it felt lacklustre.
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Please do Leonhard Euler! !!
Biographics the quote about a “cult of ignorance” is so fitting in our modern age
Robota means work in Russian. Not a huge leap admittedly.
See, I said months ago this was Deepfake Simon!
Let’s not just give credit to the sole individual is an amazing commentator on many different topics revolving around literature but he wouldn’t be remembered if it wasn’t for his outstanding publishing label printing those texts And rejuvenating the youth
I had the Great Honor of meeting Dr. Asimov twice. He gave me his card, at my request. I wrote him often to which he responded personally. My first exposer to his writing was Lucky Starr. I found the entire series except one. After reading almost his whole Robot series. I wrote to Dr. Asimov telling him I was going off to College because of him and him alone. I also told him that my Asimov collection which waa 300+ was incomplete without Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn. Oh well. 3 weeks after that I received a manila envelope inside with a personally autographed copy of Lucky Star and the rings of Saturn. I Will Always Love You Isaac rest in peace
If true, I love this.
Holy cow! Sounds like something Dr. A. would do.
Wow. That is awesome.
What a great story!😀
Thank you for sharing ❤
Great man, no doubt.
Asimov, Herbert, and Heinlein
The Holy Trinity of Sci/fi.
“Violence is the last resort of the incompetent”, it is this quote from the Foundation series that made me look in the mirror and change my attitude in life. So simple, yet so brilliant.
...unfortunately Asimov believed that the first resort pf the competent was pedophilia.....
@@TheWolfsnack ~ That was his son David. Weren't you paying attention? Issac Asimov may have been a bottom pinching harasser of young women at his conventions but he wasn't a pedophile. He was an asshole for what he did but he wasn't what you are trying to paint him as.
Were you even a violent person in the first place.
Pop Khorne , nah, not really. Just a youngster with tantrums who needed badly to grow up.
“The work of each individual contributes to a totality, and so becomes an undying part of the totality. That totality of human lives-past and present and to come-forms a tapestry that has been in existence now for many tens of thousands of years and has been growing more elaborate and, on the whole, more beautiful in all that time. Even the Spacers are an offshoot of the tapestry and they, too, add to the elaborateness and beauty of the pattern. An individual life is one thread in the tapestry and what is one thread compared to the whole? Daneel, keep your mind fixed firmly on the tapestry and do not let the trailing off of a single thread affect you.”
True Story: When I was a kid in the late 70s, I wrote Asimov through his publisher to tell him how much I loved his books- especially the science and Sci Fi ones. I said that if I ever wrote a book myself, I would dedicate it to him. Lo and behold, he wrote a postcard back to me saying he was thankful for my note and that he didn't want me to 'forget that dedication' because he 'likes to see his name in print'. Ahh, the wonderful Isaac Asimov!
I love that quote about "your ignorance" vs "my knowledge"-so true. Another one I appreciate in this current world we are in is :"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Very poignant . Elegant line . From a humble Aussie and fan.
But the most uneducated religious conservatives who believe in Young Earth Creationism and think the Bible is literal and written by Jesus himself also think they are knowledgable and that college educated evolutionary biologists are the ignorant ones.
@@mikeappleget482 think about this: doesn't your generalization (discrimination) of religious people demostraste your own ignorance?
Grace Lozada I didn’t say ALL religious people were like that. You’re using a strawman argument to try and imply that I said all religious people are stupid. The smartest person I’ve ever met was the most religious person I’ve ever met. And the kindest people I’ve met were all mostly religious people. Look up the “Dunning-Krueger effect”, that’s all I’m pointing out in my original comment.
@@gracel316 "everyone is entitled to opion but not fact" . What is said was fact for most of the religion, "most of " itself is a defination of genralization. Everything that does'nt suit you or offend you don't count as ignorance.
I discovered Asimov in my early teens, and his writing inspired me to a most eclectic life. I am now in my mid-sixties, with a wealth of grand adventures and an unstoppable thirst for learning. I credit Asimov, the author and human being, for inspiration. Thanks for this Biography.
GMan & Mom you can find them online in Amazon or at most bookstores such as Barnes & Noble. The books’ prices may start at $7 for the paperbacks.
I discovered I. Asimov’s books as a teenager as well (I’m now in my 40s) and it opened my mind and imagination. His books are so easy to read and understand that they are a delight to read.
I discovered I. Asimov’s books as a teenager as well and it opened my mind and imagination. His books are so easy to read and understand that they are a delight to read. I’m now in my 40s, so if someone in his 30s and someone in his 20s would comment, we would get a nice continuum.
@GMan & Mom Check the library!
I had undiagnosed dyslexia while in school but I learned to read because of Asimov and Clarke. They became a very fortunate addiction for me. I even tried using factor analysis (a statistical method somewhat like psychohistory) in my doctoral research. I recommend Asimov's books on mathematics for anyone struggling with math or algebra. They sure helped me. Much of who I am, is Asimov's fault. ;-)
Asimov's favorite of his own short stories is also mine - "The Last Question" blew my mind when I read it as a teen, many many moons ago.
Insufficient data for meaningful answer
It remains my favorite short story in sci-fi. The ending is pure perfection.
Oh I love that one! So many people don't get it when I bring it up though
It still blows my mind today. And I read it my first time over 30 years ago.
I read it 3 months ago and also blew my mind
I picked up Foundation on a whim on Audible to listen to during my all nighters at work and was instantly enthralled with its premise, characters, and world. A masterpiece in every sense of the word written by a genius and master at his craft. So good.
The Foundation series will always have a place in my robotic heart.
I, Rrobot.
@@ahippy8972
More like...him, robot.😝
Amen brother
You mean your positronic brain 😛
I wish . But right on. Be damn hard to make a movie of it . Dune was pretty ordinary . But a weird concept to begin with . You had to be stoned to enjoy I guess
Elijah Baley is the greatest detective of all time. Big heads up for Daneel and Giskard.
Cannot agree more !! I adore this book series.
I agree and his partner R. Daneel Olivaw!
Davie Mcl: I Love ‘Caves Of Steel’!
I think that I learned to be a better person, because of Asimov, Heinlein, and Hurbert.
They replaced absentee parent, a broken educational system, and the void left by my mother's excommunication from our church.
They gave me a lifelong love of science,The ability to overcome my reading difficulty, and Hope! Hope that there was going to be a future. I learned how to be smart lazy from Heinlein. I thought that robots were definitely in my future, from Asimov. And, got my first dark inkling that the War on Drugs, was to a militarized police force, from Hurbert.
They gave me a healthy cynicism about everything !
And a show me kinda trust, word can deceive, actions speak louder.
The first big kid book I ever read, was Lost Race of Mars by Robert Silverberg. I was hooked. Stranger in a Strange Land, was good prep for Foundation.
I have tried to convince other profs to use Sci/Fi as a means of looking at issues that would be difficult to examine, if used in a "Real World"context.
Sci/Fi isolates the problem. Then we can dissect it freely. Also, it calms the fear that you are other. Being other usually ends up being the best!
Was it Assimov or Herbert that had the chairdogs?
@@dannymccune1888 That would be Herbert.
"He indicated a chairdog against the wall to his right, snapped his fingers. The semi-sentient artifact glided to a position behind McKie. "Please be seated."
McKie, his caution realerted by Bolin's reference to "uninhibited conversation," sank into the chairdog, patting it until it assumed the contours he wanted."
From The Tactful Saboteur.
Heinlein strikes me as a poor role model for someone aspiring to be a better person. I did read his famous work, but his own values, which are inserted throughout the book, were a turnoff. I never read another of his.
@@GH-oi2jf well, I can live without the sexism and homophobia. Given the times he lived in. Time Enough for Love, just had an enormous impact on me. 666, the Number of the beast, was a flight of fancy that heals my heart.
Asimov changed my life. He made me fall in love with Science Fiction, and he will always have a very important place in my mind and my heart.
Exactly the same for myself.
Ray Bradbury did exactly the same for me.
I'm embarrassed to admit, especially here, that I've never read any Asimov, although I've been hearing people talk about his work all my life.
I intend to remedy this asap. Another writer that I want to investigate properly is Philip K Dick. Everyone has been exposed to his work, because his stories have been turned into very successful films, but I have never actually read any of his books.
When I was young I wrote a letter to Isaac Asimov and he wrote back. In my letter I wrote, "If you "live to learn", as you said in one of your books, why do you write science fiction?" He sent me a postcard in return and replied on it in a sloppy typewritten form, "You can learn from everything and anything, and in the case of writing science fiction, you can learn how to express yourself more clearly." I've lost the card, but that's basically what he wrote to me, and he signed the postcard too. It doesn't bother me that I lost the card, because I don't hold much value to historical artifacts. The only other person I ever wrote to was "The Fonz" and all I got back from him was a photo of him holding out his thumbs. I much prefer Asimov's response.
Great video. Speaking of awesome sci-fi authors, how about a video on Arthur C. Clarke?
I love Dune by frank herbert and wish for a video about him please
One of my biggest heroes.
Rest In Peace Mr.Asimov. You gave us incredible alternative realities to sooth our souls from this crazy place. You have my eternal gratitude.
A truly brilliant man.. I've read the foundation series every 2-3 years since the late 80's 🤓
Sadly it is getting hard to find him in the 2nd hand bookshops but a few years back I found a copy of " The stars in their courses" A fascinating book.
Always felt that he got the "violence is the last resort of the incompetent" line wrong as violence tends to be the first resort.
"The End of Eternity" and "The Gods Themselves" are his best books.
You have good taste...I think "The Naked Sun" is also an underrated gem.
The Foundation series is some of the best space opera ever written.
@Brett Mitchell That's a little harsh. I read it in my teens and found it wonderful, then reread it many years later and thought, "meh." So it has an audience.
You should watch Legend of Galactic Heroes.
@Brett Mitchell My favorite novels and a kid. Reread it as an adult. It did not age well.
Make it a movie then?
Let me change for you. The Original Foundation is the best space opera. Not the other books of the series.
My best takeaway from the Foundation Series was the non-use of violence unless in self defence. As Asimov stated "Violence is the last resort of the incompetent".
That's my favorite Asimov quote!
you missed a few pages
It's also a reinterpretation of another famous quote.
"patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel".
Very appropriate for these times we exist in.
After some market stalls had packed up for the day , I found - Isaac Asimov - The winds of change , just lying on the ground. I picked it up , read it in one night , and never looked back.Changed my life. I now never have a book out of my hand. Asimov is my sci-fi hero.🚀
Asimov and Tolkien were both the fathers of their respective genres. They're legends and to call one better than the other shows one's ignorance to their significance.
T R U T H
He wrote “The Sensuous Dirty Old Man”, a response to “ The Sensuous woman”. I loved him even more after that. My father introduced me to his Science Fiction when I was young, but it was amazing that he had a wonderful, twisted humor.
This was quite timely as I just finished, and re-read, the whole Foundation series. Asimov and Heinlein are my favorite sci-fi authors.
I was lucky enough to have been a voracious reader through my teens, and I idolized Asimov. He was responsible for my introduction to chemistry and physics through his popular science series of books. His writing is among the best. An exceptionally clear mind.
Science Fiction starts from Asimov. Robotics is Asimov.
One man gave us what we think of science fiction today .
For horror Lovecraft, then the world followed .
For science fiction there is only Asimov.
Thank you @Biographics
What about H G Wells? Great though Asimov is, Wells was defining sci fi in the Victorian age.
I named my son Isaac after Asimov, but SF started from H.G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Asimov was one of the "big three" of the golden age of scifi in mid 20th century.
Some interesting trivia. The word 'robot' actually comes from a Czech word for 'forced labor' and was introduced into English through a book "Rossom's universal Robots" in the 1920's.
Yeah who needs mary shelly
@@rikosaikawa9024 - or Lucian of Samosata. That said, Asimov reshaped the genre as did the great contributors who preceded him.
Delightful vignette on one of my childhood and teen writing heroes (flaws and all, much like Roddenbery) Octavia Butler and Ray Bradbury would ALSO be fascinating subjects....🤗🤗
I really enjoyed this Biographic on one of my favorite writers.
Have you thought of doing one on Arthur C. Clarke or Robert A. Heinlein?
My dad had a few Asimov books so when I was growing up, I'd read them. Even as a very young child with minimal reading comprehension abilities, the stories fascinated me and when read them again years later, they were even better
Nicely written Arnaldo! (I especially like the way respect and a healthy view of others is highlighted in the show. It can't be taken for granted that all who are watching know what is right and what is wrong when it comes to the treatment of others. You've stated it tactfully and in a straightforward manner.)
Hey Simon, if you are ever looking for any Irish historical figures for St. Patrick's day then here's a few suggestions-
Thomas Andrews(1873-1912)
Dr James Barry or Margaret Bulkley(1789-1865)
Lilian Bland(1878-1971)
Brian Boru(941-1014)
Robert Boyle(1627-1691)
William Brown or Guillermo brown or Almirante Brown(1777-1857)
Gay Byrne(1934-2019)
Sir Roger Casement(1864-1916)
Thomas J. Clarke(1858-1916)-
Agnes Clerke(1842-1907)l
Michael Collins(1890-1922)-m
Saint Columba or Colum Cille(521-597)-
James Connolly(1868-1916)
Edward Despard(1751-1803)
Anne Devlin(1780-1851)
Margaretta or Margaret Eager(1863-1936)
Mary Elmes(1908-2002)
Robert Emmet(1778-1803)
'Silken' Thomas Fitzgerald(1513-1537)
Betsy Gray(died 1798)
Patrick Lafcadia Hearn or Koizumi Yakumo(1850-1904)
Chaim Herzog(1918-1997)
James Joyce(1882-1941)
Sir Hugh Lane(1875-1915)
James Larkin(1878-1947)l
C.S. Lewis(1898-1963)
Juan or Kuhn Mackenna(1771-1814)
Terence MacSwiny(1879-1920)
Annette Elizabeth Mahon(1918-2013)
Constance Markievicz(1868-1927)
Bernadette Devlin McAliskey(1947-present)
Thomas Francis Meagher(1823-1867)
Annie Moore(1874-1924)
Turlough O'Carolan(1670-1738)
Daniel O'Connell(1775-1843)
Hugh O'Flaherty(1897-1963)l
Gráinne Ní Mháilleor or Grace O'Malley(1530-1603)
Hugh O'Neill(1550-1616)
Peter O'Toole(1932-2013)
Charles Stewart Parnell(1946-1891)
Padraig or Patrick Pearse(1879-1916)
Jeremiah O'Donavan Rossa(1831-1915) -
Mary Ryan(1873-1961)
Bobby Sands(1954-1981)
Ernest Shackleton(1874-1922)
George Bernard Shaw(1856-1950)
Francis Sheehy-Skeffington(1878-1916)
Jonathan Swift(1667-1745)
Theobald Wolfe Tone(1763-1798)
Eamon de Valera(1882-1975)-
Ernest Walton(1903-1995)
Arthur Wellesley(1769-1852)
William Butler Yeats(1865-1939)
And for April fools day you should do Nat Tate and for pride month you should do Judy Garland.
Anyway great video, as always. Keep up the good work.
Beautiful .
That last quote is VERY meaningful and essential.
Arthur C. Clarke would be a nice subject.
Meh.
@@DurandCompton your not smart
jorge aldridge *you're
that would be great
Daisy.. Daisy....
Good on you not leaving out the uncomfortable part.
My favorite sci-fi writer. Foundation series is a masterpiece.
Thank you for featuring one of my favorite authors. Aside from his sci-fi books, I also enjoyed his mystery books.
I mourned when I learned of his passing as I have never mourned any other celebrities' passing. Thankfully, his books are still a source of solace, comfort, and celebration.
Please do Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church.
And including the ever so fake Book of Mormon written in 19th century in a 17th century style to look more convincing.
@Lochness Monsta Indeed! That's probably going to be the most interesting part about him. 👍
@@my_negative_world Interesting tactic he had there.
MattanzaMafiaFedora ... Nessy - Can I borrow tree fitty?
I think "Nightfall" was the first Asimov story I read. He and Heinlein were among my first SF reads. This was about 50+ years ago. I still go back to them now and then. :o) I can remember going to Sci-Fi conventions (started going in the late 70s) and being warned about Asimov. I actually saw him from afar, but had no desire to go up to him (more because I was shy than anything anyone said about him).
Thank you for doing Asimov. He was a good 'un. One of the best.
I didn't know he groped women though...I can't say that that was remotely ok. Sigh. I still like and admire him, but I'm disappointed about that item.
Nobody's perfect.😐
@@grmpEqweer Read "The Sensuous Dirty Old Man" by "Dr. A". Yes, Asimov was rather sexist and something of an MCP, but at least he realized his shortcomings and made fun of them.
@@zhg4485 Agreed, although the actual title was indeed "The Sensuous Dirty Old Man" (I owned a copy until a house fire).
I saw Asimov speak at a packed University theater in 1982 - he was very entertaining and even more so when a group of born-again Christians in the audience took issue with him during a Q&A at the end. One young man demanded: “Mr. Asimov why do you claim you could never be a Christian?” to which he replied “because I was born a Jew!” - and the whole theater exploded in laughter. The red faced man continued: “Why then Mr. Asimov do you know nothing of the Bible?” to which he replied “I once wrote a two volume study of the Bible” - more laughter.
I have a copy of his Bible tomes, wherein he explains what's really going on, verse by verse. His book on Shakespeare was better, though.
One correction to your wonderful piece, the job in Philadelphia was not because he was drafted but to keep him from being drafted. Other SF authors, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Sprage DeCamp, and Fred Pohl were also involved. The positions were set up my Naval Academy graduate Heinlein. Asimov was drafted after the end of hostilities to serve as a clerk/typist to help with demobilization. He applied for and received a discharge to return to his studies at Columbia.
See: In Memory Still Green, the first volume of his autobiography.
*“The work of each individual contributes to a totality, and so becomes an undying part of the totality. That totality of human lives-past and present and to come-forms a tapestry that has been in existence now for many tens of thousands of years and has been growing more elaborate and, on the whole, more beautiful in all that time. Even the Others are an offshoot of the tapestry and they, too, add to the elaborateness and beauty of the pattern. An individual life is one thread in the tapestry and what is one thread compared to the whole? You, keep your mind fixed firmly on the tapestry and do not let the trailing off of a single thread affect you.”*
Just a point of order. Asimov first pondered the balance between Science and religion in the story Trends, published a year or so before Nightfall
The Foundation series is one of the best scifi stories ever told. I've always wondered why it hasn't been put to film.
I've been an Asimov fan since I've been a kid in the 60s. I've read almost everything, and even have an autographed autobiography I got when I saw him speak in the 1980s. Yet I still enjoyed your video and learned new things about the greatest Science Fiction writer of all time.. Great job and thanks for making it!
“The work of each individual contributes to a totality, and so becomes an undying part of the totality. That totality of human lives-past and present and to come-forms a tapestry that has been in existence now for many tens of thousands of years and has been growing more elaborate and, on the whole, more beautiful in all that time. Even the Spacers are an offshoot of the tapestry and they, too, add to the elaborateness and beauty of the pattern. An individual life is one thread in the tapestry and what is one thread compared to the whole? Daneel, keep your mind fixed firmly on the tapestry and do not let the trailing off of a single thread affect you.”
A major component of Asimov's output: interpreter of science for the layman. One day not too long ago, I was having supper in a restaurant and reading an article about neutrinos in a science magazine. Returning from the restroom, I found my waitress poring over the article. (OK, it was a slack time.) In a brief conversation, I found out that she was an art major but fascinated by science. Returning home, I logged on to a cheap online bookstore and found a listing for "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science" by Dr Asimov. Now, this book is about 60 years out of date, but it has held up very well. You won't find anything about dark energy or quarks or DNA, but what is in it is sound and endlessly fascinating. So, I ordered a copy of it and gave it to the young woman on my next visit to her restaurant. She was overwhelmed. But, hey we nerds must stick together.
Asimov was an absolute god of science fiction (my favorite entertainment subject) and the Foundation series is definitely my favorite of the bunch. I've read the entire series multiple times and would easily do it again. Of course, I kinda hated the decision he made that was revealed in the last book, Foundation and Earth, which basically brings decisions of events in the entire series into question and potentially making everything pointless, but still a great series none the less.
“People think of education as something that they can finish. And what’s more, when they finish, it’s a rite of passage. You’re finished with school. You’re no more a child, and therefore anything that reminds you of school - reading books, having ideas, asking questions - that’s kid’s stuff. Now you’re an adult, you don’t do that sort of thing any more.
You have everybody looking forward to no longer learning, and you make them ashamed afterward of going back to learning. If you have a system of education using computers, then anyone, any age, can learn by himself, can continue to be interested. If you enjoy learning, there’s no reason why you should stop at a given age. People don’t stop things they enjoy doing just because they reach a certain age.
What’s exciting is the actual process of broadening yourself, of knowing there’s now a little extra facet of the universe you know about and can think about and can understand. It seems to me that when it’s time to die, there would be a certain pleasure in thinking that you had utilized your life well, learned as much as you could, gathered in as much as possible of the universe, and enjoyed it. There’s only this one universe and only this one lifetime to try to grasp it. And while it is inconceivable that anyone can grasp more than a tiny portion of it, at least you can do that much. What a tragedy just to pass through and get nothing out of it.”
― Isaac Asimov
To : Issac Asimov from Robbie Robert Wayne Dukes. I said all that to say all this: To never have met you in person, you / your books have had the most profound impact on my life. I’m now 70 years old Sometimes, I would take a commuter’s bus (I think I was about 10😊 / 14 years old) - cost a dollar - to the station and walk to the Atlanta Public Library and take a look around (my first trip there) and decided on a science fiction book. “I Robot”. Now, I build them … thanks!
Master Simon, as someone who cannot abide wanton ignorance, thank you for the Asimov quote that, “Our Democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” I will treasure it‼️
Much L♥️VE You, Your Lovely Wife, whom I personally hope to see on here sometime and of course the Whole of Team Biographics‼️‼️‼️♥️♥️♥️💫💫💫✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼🚀🚀🚀🚅🚅🚅🎖🎖🎖🥃🥃🥃
No argument here. I love both the ‘Foundation’ series and the ‘Lord of the Rings’. Both are sweeping classics and Wonders of literature.
For me, it began in Jr. High with the Foundation Series. One of the last books I read by Asimov was his complete re-write of "Fantastic Voyage". He had such a gift.
They quote Isaac Asimov a lot in Rick and Morty, Get Schwifty was one of the episodes taken from one of Asimov's books.
I can't tell you how happy I was to see the Good Doctor as the topic of another excellent Biographics video. I first heard of Isaac Asimov from my high school boyfriend, but I misunderstood him and thought he said "I Zachasimov is a really good writer." So I was looking for him in various libraries at the totally wrong end of the alphabet! It was only one day, browsing books on a carousel type bookcase, where they were not in alphabetical order, that I saw the name "Isaac Asimov". I literally did a double-take and kicked myself for not realising my mistake earlier. I picked up the book, which happened to be "I, Robot" and upon reading it I knew I'd found a author whom I would love for the rest of my life. His writing was so straightforward, the emphasis was always on the plot and very cleanly written, with no unnecessary verbosity. I didn't realise how old he was, as his writing always seemed so fresh and obviously futuristic. His death came as a complete shock to me. Strange to think that both he and Freddie Mercury were taken by AIDS, just 5 months apart. The family agreed to keep his diagnosis secret for ten years due to the stigma surrounding the disease, which is hard to overstate at the time. If only he had lived a little longer, he might have been able to benefit from the medical treatments that allow victims of this infection to live a virtually normal life and lifespan today. What a tragedy, and what great works the world has missed out on! We can only be grateful that he left such a prolific volume of works behind him.
I finally checked out the Great Courses Plus; thank you Simon for pushing it on us; well worth the checking it out.
I was never a fan of the Foundation series. But, I remember reading "Nightfall" when young and found it terrifying.
As a writer myself, I will share my personal experience on the most difficult part of writing; it isn't starting; it isn't even writing at all. For someone who loves to write, those parts are easy. The most difficult part of writing is coming up with truly compelling, original ideas. By that I mean, not just ideas that you enjoy writing about, but ideas that other people enjoy reading about; ideas that haven't been explored; or ideas that offer a new and enlightening perspective. It's easy to write. But writing something that has real value for humanity, or something that will truly stand the test of time (like Foundation); very few people can actually do that, ergo it is the most difficult part of writing.
To simplify, the most difficult part of writing is coming up with something good. You see it all the time in a lot of modern works, they tick off all the flavors of the month, but they fail to leave an aftertaste that cements their longevity.
“The false notion that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge”. That is genius.
Asimov is my favorite science fiction author. The Foundation books are a marvel and cemented his place in this bibliophile's heart. I cried when I learned of his death. Even with all the books I've read over my life, no one has supplanted Asimov as my favorite author.
Thanks Simon for making a video about my absolute idol and personal hero, the great Isaac Asimov !
I was very pleased to see a huge ( and well executed ) portrait of the great man, Asimov, painted on the side of a building in Smolensk Russia.
Asimov's Foundation series was probably among the best SF books ever written. With his "Black Widowers" series he proved to be a master of the mystery literature, too. His books on history and general science alone would have made him one of the greatest authors of this genre; he managed to make science fun and accessible to the every-man. And, on top of all that, a master in the art of the naughty limerick!
Here is something that most people (probably) don't know.
_[WikiPedia]_ The word "robot" comes from Karel Čapek's play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) written in 1920 in the Czech language and first performed in 1921. Performed in New York 1922 and an English edition published in 1923. In the play, the word refers to artificially created life forms.[1] Named robots in the play are Marius, Sulla, Radius, Primus, Helena, and Damon. The play introduced and popularized the term "robot". Čapek's robots are biological machines that are assembled, as opposed to grown or born.
I read these books before finding the ones that Dr. Asimov wrote. Needless to say, I was hooked and read (as far as I know) _all_ of his works of fiction and quite a lot of his non-fiction works as well over the years. I consider him to be an author without peer, a unique person and a wonderful human being.
My favorite author of all time.
Thanks....and thanks for pointing out at the end why he was my favorite author.
Anti intellectualism will kill us all.
Something Asimov clued me in on back in the 60's.
This has been my favorite Biographics video so far!!
My first science fiction book was Prelude to Foundation. I've been hooked ever since. Especially on Issac Asimov
One of my all time favorite fiction writers! One of the big disappointments in my life was back in 1992 when I was volunteering for a writing festival and he had agreed to appear, but then passed away. Fortunately we got the consolation prize of all consolation prizes (if you can say that in a non-pejorative way) when Ray Bradbury agreed to fill in and I had the great good fortune to meet him. So it was a lose one, win one situation.
He's a legend!
I remember reading his autobiography, In Memory Yet Green, when I was a teenager. But that was decades ago, so I'm glad to have this refresher course!
1:35 - Chapter 1 - Candy & Magazines
5:30 - Chapter 2 - Nightfall
7:25 - Chapter 3 - Father of robotics
10:25 - Mid roll ads
11:35 - Chapter 4 - Foundation
14:25 - Chapter 5 - On writing, pinching & dating
20:10 - Chapter 6 - Future visions
22:45 - Chapter 7 - A legacy of knowledge
Thanks for this video which I enjoyed. I have read Asimov for most of my life, now 66, and enjoyed the Sci-Fi, Mystery, Fantasy, Factual, ... to the extent that it became a fun part of my life exploring used book stores for his works. My collection of book and ephemera now exceeds 500 items! I actually have a copy of "Five and Five and One" Preliminary Treaty from the Boston collection that is referred to in this video where, in Isaac's own hand, it reads "Nothing ever came of this because McCartney couldn't recognise good stuff". I visited the archive back in 2003 whilst on holiday and recommend anyone interested in Asimov to do so.
Fascinating. As always an excellent job, Simon and company. Isaac Asimov was the commencement speaker when I graduated from college. I remember hearing about the fear of flying but never really understood anything else. I've always been a voracious reader but it took until the 2000's before I read the foundation trilogy. Good stuff. I also remember meeting release being in the same room as Arthur C Clarke. He came to some lecture that we had, he just came to hear the lecture I really don't remember who gave the talk. I can picture the room but that's about it.
Absolutely my favorite writer, and, The Foundation series is far and away better than the LOTR series-no question!
I read Tolkien as a child and still re-read him to this day. He would have to be my favourite fantasy writer. I discovered Asimov much later (in my 30s) and while I enjoyed his science fiction, the writing style isn't as polished. I feel he had a lot to say and didn't want to waste time making it pretty. What I love most about Asimov is his non-fiction. He was an absolutely brilliant science communicator. He could take any difficult subject and break it down into understandable pieces, then knit those pieces into an amusing and coherent narrative that fostered comprehension. His early death was a great loss.
Arnoldo, this was an excellent script. I am an immense fan of Asimov and I suspect the same can be said for you. If you are not and you wrote this with a cursory examination of Asimov's life, then your sources were excellent. You emphasised complicated themes and summarized Foundations' plot and themes.
More importantly you captured Asimov's brilliance with an superlative collection of quotes that highlight the ontological and epistemological questions skillfully woven into Foundation and fundamentally the 3 laws.
Thank you for this script and to the venerable Simon for his wonderful presentation.
I was privileged to meet him briefly at an event in 1975. While not quite 20, I’d already read many of his books, including the Foundation. It was a thrill to be in the presence of such genius.
I first became familiar with Asimov through his short science fiction stories. While I always enjoyed his sci-fi stories, I really became a fan when I started reading his historical novels. I so enjoyed how he began at the very beginning of the development of the area he was writing about e.g. Centennial, Texas, Chesapeake, and Hawaii. I suppose the historical elements of his stories touched me more than the unreality of sci-fi. Whenever I would come to the end of one of his novels, I wanted the story of the people and places he wrote of to go on and on. When he died in 1992, I was heartbroken over the fact he would never be able to write another anything. He is still missed these 28 years later. RIP Isaac. Thank you for his personal story.
Pardon, but Centennial, Hawaii, Chesapeake and Texas were written by James A. Mitchener.
puncheex2 Oh my goodness you are so right. I don’t know where my head was at when I wrote that. Well, Mitchner is also gone and I will miss never getting to read another book by him and stories by Asimov. Thanks for the heads up.
@@sandracastle42 No problem, Sandra. They were all great reads.
Awesome!!! Love Asimov 's work. I read a little bio on him once. It was much better with your melodies voice and enthusiasm 😊
Been waiting patiently for this one, thank you. :)
henry the navigator! I don't really have a good reason for him to be covered I just wanna learn about him myself lol
Thank you for the video. i Robot will always be my fav, till the end of time. When he wrote Susan Calvin, it was a genius Robopsychologist character, but sadly died at the age of 82. He could have made a clone of her at some stage, but perhaps it's for the better. Nothing last forever. Peace :-)
The first science fiction story I read was in a school book when I was 8. It was 'The Fun They Had'. When schools went remote for the pandemic, I thought of that story.
Hey I love your videos! I was wondering if you could do a video on Vyacheslav Skriabin aka Molotov? He was pretty interesting to me and I'm actually something like his great great great niece (weird thing to brag about I guess) and while my family has passed down a few stories about him (which are pretty cool and I'd be happy to share them) I want to know more about him even though he didn't do good things and got a lot of people killed. Family is interesting (especially when you see the freaky resemblance on that side of the family). Thanks for all the knowledge and cool videos!
Asimov, Heinlen and Clarke were the trio that started and still keep my SF fascination. Rereading is like reading them for the first time, there's so much detail you always miss something.
I have not read the Foundation books, but I will plan to read them as soon as possible. Just based on the summary sounds like the foundation box examine a lot of the same ideas that Frank Herbert explored in the Dune books.
Christopher Hitchens
I second that.
I guess I'll third that...
No.
Yes please. God i'd love a video on that legend.
@@thedude4672, did Hitch hurt your delusions in some way? I'm sure he did.
Nightfall was so good. It was featured on radio shows of the time including X-1 and Dimension X
and, he lived here, in my city, Albany (maybe Schenectady), NY or, at least visited often but definitely wrote a column in the local newspaper, until very close to his death. He, Carl Sagan, and Kurt Vonegut used to attend the Institute in Rennselaerville, which is actually very close to my hometown. Odd to think that such great writers were all so close, so often yet I had no idea.
Read a collection of his short stories a couple years back. Some of them were so profound, so creative, so full of untouchable imagination I laughed and cried. I wish I had a 10th of the man's genius and imagination.
My favorite interview of Asimov is with Dr. Ruth the sex psychologist. It’s very saucy and funny. He’s one of my favorite authors and such an inspiration.
Now I love this channel a whole lot, but I would like to see more African-American biographies like Hazel Scott, Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, etc. especially since it’s black history month. Thanks ❤️
Alliyah Jordan: Alexandre Dumas as well.
I once saw him, in my hometown, in about the 60's, I kick myself for not introducing myself to him. He loved Northern New England,, and visited often. I even read his autobiography, all three volumes, all 3" thick.
The only Isaac Asimov book I have is the history of the Roman Empire but I find his Sci-Fi concepts such as the "Three Laws of Robotics" interesting. I also hope his predictions of the future come true.
A great man! I read many of his books and always wanted for more...until there was no more...
To this day, I still collect old issues of his anthologies whenever I happen upon them in used book stores. I've loved his work, fantasies unbound by the mundanities of reality.
Is it just me or do you guys like Asimov's 'Prelude to Foundation' and 'Forward the Foundation' more than the actual following 'Foundation' trilogy? I found 'Foundation' to be bland (but interesting) as it wasn't as character driven - that goes for the following books as well.
I love Hari and Dors, without their relationship in the following books it felt lacklustre.
He wrote great limericks. I had a book of them, it was hilarious.
Bravo, this was one of your best Biographics.
Asimov's short story Robbie or previously named Strange Playfellow is a favorite 😍
Now this, is an author. Thanks Simon and crew
That was so enjoyable to listen to! Thank You Very Much!