Asimov, Isaac

Asimov, Isaac
born Jan. 2, 1920, Petrovichi, Russia
died April 6, 1992, New York, N.Y., U.S.

Russian-born U.S. author and biochemist.

He arrived in the U.S. at age 3, earned a doctorate from Columbia University, and subsequently taught for many years at Boston University. Before embarking on graduate study, he had already begun publishing his stories. "Nightfall" (1941) is often called the finest science-fiction short story ever written. His I, Robot (1950) greatly influenced how later writers treated intelligent machines. A trilogy of novels
Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation (1951–53)
is widely considered a classic. Asimov's nonfiction science books for lay readers are noted for their lucidity and humour. Immensely prolific, he published more than 300 volumes in all.

* * *

▪ American author
born January 2, 1920, Petrovichi, Russia
died April 6, 1992, New York, New York, U.S.
 American author and biochemist, a highly successful and prolific writer of science fiction and of science books for the layperson. He published about 500 volumes.

      Asimov was brought to the United States at age three. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, graduating from Columbia University in 1939 and taking a Ph.D. there in 1948. He then joined the faculty of Boston University, with which he remained associated thereafter.

      Asimov began contributing stories to science-fiction magazines in 1939 and in 1950 published his first book, Pebble in the Sky. His trilogy of novels, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation (1951–53), which recounts the collapse and rebirth of a vast interstellar empire in the universe of the future, is his most famous work of science fiction. In the short-story collection I, Robot (1950; filmed 2004), he developed a set of ethics for robots and intelligent machines that greatly influenced other writers' treatment of the subject. His other novels and collections of stories included The Stars, like Dust (1951), The Currents of Space (1952), The Caves of Steel (1954), The Naked Sun (1957), Earth Is Room Enough (1957), Foundation's Edge (1982), and The Robots of Dawn (1983). His "Nightfall" (1941) is thought by many to be the finest science-fiction short story ever written. Among Asimov's books on various topics in science, written with lucidity and humour, are The Chemicals of Life (1954), Inside the Atom (1956), The World of Nitrogen (1958), Life and Energy (1962), The Human Brain (1964), The Neutrino (1966), Science, Numbers, and I (1968), Our World in Space (1974), and Views of the Universe (1981). He also published two volumes of autobiography.

Additional Reading
Studies of his life and works include Joseph F. Patrouch, The Science Fiction of Isaac Asimov (1974); Joseph D. Olander and Martin Harry Greenberg (eds.), Isaac Asimov (1977); James Gunn, Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction (1982); William F. Touponce, Isaac Asimov (1991); and Michael White, Asimov: The Unauthorised Life (1994).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ASIMOV, ISAAC — (1920–1992), U.S. biochemist and author of over 500 books. Born in Petrovichi, Russia, Asimov was raised in the U.S. from the age of three. He taught at Boston University s medical school, where he became associate professor of biochemistry in… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Asimov, Isaac — ► (1920 1992). Escritor estadounidense de origen ruso. Autor prolífico, cultivó géneros muy diversos, destacando en la ciencia ficción: Yo, robot (1950), Nueve mañanas (1959), y de divulgación científica: El universo (1967), y también de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Asimov,Isaac — As·i·mov (ăzʹĭ môv , mŏv ), Isaac. 1920 1992. Russian born American scientist and prolific writer whose works include popular explanations of scientific principles and volumes of science fiction, including The Foundation Trilogy (1963). * * * …   Universalium

  • Asimov, Isaac —  (1920–1992) American biochemist and prolific science fiction writer …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Asimov, Isaac — pseud. di French, Paul …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Asimov, Isaac —    см. Азимов, Айзек …   Писатели США. Краткие творческие биографии

  • Isaac Asimov — Asimov in 1965 Born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov Between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920[1] Petrovichi, Russian SFSR …   Wikipedia

  • Asimov — Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov Asimov est considéré par certains comme l « empereur de la science fiction[1 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Isaac Asimov — Asimov, vu par Rowena Morrill, sur un trône orné des symboles de son œuvre littéraire Nom de naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ASIMOV (I.) — ASIMOV ISAAC (1920 1992) Né à Petrovichi, dans la Russie révolutionnaire, Isaac Asimov a émigré aux États Unis en compagnie de ses parents, à l’âge de trois ans. Dès son entrée sur la scène littéraire en 1939, le thème principal de ses romans est …   Encyclopédie Universelle

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”