I, Asimov: A Memoir

Asimov, Isaac. I, Asimov. Doubleday, 1994.
I, Asimov, an almost 600-page memoir, written when his health was failing and published after his death, won Isaac Asimov his final Hugo. It was his third published autobiography. It gives the reader a good feeling for what it must have been like to know him—at least a bit. His assessment of his own talent seems about right—that he was a writer who would always be known more for the quantity and variety of his work rather than for the quality of any single creation. He wrote obsessively. The book count mattered to him, and in the end he had more than 400 original book-length titles to his name. He never agreed with critics and readers about which were his best stories. Though he eventually show more became a tenured full professor at Boston University, he was never much interested in research and was best known for his lively lectures. He was much in demand as a public speaker, and he would have done more but for his fear of flying and general unwillingness to travel. He was well known for his sense of humor and adlib limericks to fit any occasion. The memoir tells us quite a lot about his public and professional life. He tells us of many enduring friendships with his competitors and colleagues. There are sketches of famous science fiction writers of his era, from Robert Heinlein to Robert Silverberg, and portraits of his many editors—especially of John Campbell, for whose Astounding magazine he wrote many of his most famous stories, including the bulk of the Foundation series. The memoir tells us much less about his intimate relationships and emotional life. For instance, we know almost nothing about his relationship with his son David, for whom he established a trust fund. Asimov completed the memoir just months before his death. His daughter Robyn provides an epilogue with the bare facts of his final illness and death, though she does not mention that he suffered from AIDS acquired from triple-bypass surgery in the early 1980s. As far as I can tell, there has been no major objective critical biography of his life and work. A book by Michael White seems to have been carelessly researched. Asimov has lately become the target of criticism for his boorish behavior towards women, which he seems to have thought was a loveable aspect of his character. It has been reported that the secretaries in his publisher’s office called him “the man with a hundred hands.” A few years after his death, Asimov’s son was arrested for possessing a large horde of child pornography. Finally, it would be enlightening to know his first wife’s side of the story of their failed marriage. Someone also needs to do a major critical assessment of his novels. Until these holes are filled, I Asimov will have to do. 4 stars. show less

This is the third volume of autobiography produced by the great SF writer and scientist, a more thematic and distilled version of a two volume autobiography he had produced some ten years previously. It is very long, over 500 pages, divided into some 166 very short chapters, each dealing with a theme or a significant person in his life. For the most part, this style worked for me, though occasionally it felt a bit bitty. I only discovered Asimov's SF in 1987 and spent the next few years devouring them (the Foundation saga, then the empire novels, then the robot novels), with several of them becoming among my all time favourite novels. I was gutted when he was died in early 1992. This autobiography brings across well the vast range of show more his writing interests, and his desire for a simple and peaceful life, with an antipathy towards travelling. I found his descriptions of his declining years quite difficult to read. While he was 72 when he died, given a few differences, he could have lived longer and given us more great works. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed Asimov's remembrances of his life and science and writing. He is beyond intelligent, so witty and it was a pleasure to experience his life.

Isaac Asimov died, to my sorrow, in 1992. He was one of my favorite science fiction writers (although he was more than that), and one of the most charming, personable and interesting. I have not yet had the chance to read his earlier two books of memoirs, and so jumped at this book. It did not disappoint. Asimov is always interesting and readable, even when writing on his favorite subject, himself (he always contended that technically he was not a vain man, since everything he claimed for himself he could back up). Indeed, I have decided to adopt the pattern of this book for my own intended memoirs one day - to break up one's life into influential events and people, and tell everything in that organizational pattern, rather than a show more straight chronological progression. The loss of Asimov has diminished humanity to a degree, but this book does some little to fill the hole. show less

Asimov certainly had no lack of self confidence but was quick to point out his own shortcomings. A nice, if long, read in which Asimov shares his memories and thoughts on his life. Reading about Lester del Rey, John Campbell, Pohl, Sprague de Camp, Heinlein and so many associated with the early years of science fiction through Asimov's lens adds to my list of authors I want to get to in the next few years (Asimov's Robot and Foundation arc in 2011, Heinlein now in 2012 and Clarke for 2013, then?)

Good stuff.

I, Asimov by Isaac Asimov which won a Hugo in 1995 as Best Related Book. At over 560 pages, I thought that it would take me into the new year to finish but it was so interesting that I didn't want to put the book down and read every minute that I could. This memoir read very much as though the author was sitting in the room with me and telling interesting stories about himself, other authors, publishing, public speaking, and more. A good choice for someone interested in the history of American science fiction.

This late memoir differs from the late Asimov's two volume autobiography in that it is something of a commentary on his life rather than just the story of his life. It is interesting, among other things, for what the good Doctor Asimov reveals about his marital troubles, his medical history and his sore spots, e.g., the scars left by anti-Semitism in higher education and the cost of being intelligent enough to always be the youngest, often by several years, in high school and college.