Isaac Asimov: The Father of Science Fiction
English 11 R
Mr. Ferrare
9 February 2010
Isaac Asimov: The Father of Science-Fiction Isaac Asimov is well known for his Foundation series but wrote a total of over 500 books. These books were commonly science-fiction, but he also wrote mysteries and other genres of literature, including a memoir. Although these works differ in genre, they each contain Isaac Asimov’s desire to help the world and educate people in any way he could. Isaac Asimov used his work to reflect upon the world and address its problems by helping the reader identify the problems so that he or she can overcome them. Isaac Asimov’s experiences in his earlier life helped form his perception of the world. Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russia in 1920. Asimov moved with his parents to Brooklyn, New York before he turned three (Goldman). His father set up a candy shop, and Isaac taught himself how to read, enjoying the magazines his father sold in the shop. He worked there most of his adolescent years, helping his family make money during the difficult years of the Great Depression. Having Jewish Parents in a primarily Christian country gave Asimov an outsider’s view of religion, which shaped his religious beliefs and his writing about religion (“Isaac Asimov Biography”). As Asimov grew into adulthood, he encountered new experiences, continuing to change his outlook on the world. He served in the military during World War II although he never saw combat (“Asimov, Isaac.”). He grew to dislike war and the concept of violence solving problems, which he demonstrated in his writing. He also spent time on a naval base, which gave him ideas for his Foundation series (Badertscher). He married Gertrude Blugerman in 1942. Once out of the military Asimov pursued his writing career, writing 32 short stories between 1941 and 1949 (“Isaac Asimov Biography”). These stories, originally separate, came to be a part of the Foundation series. He also strove to educate himself, receiving his
Mr. Ferrare
9 February 2010
Isaac Asimov: The Father of Science-Fiction Isaac Asimov is well known for his Foundation series but wrote a total of over 500 books. These books were commonly science-fiction, but he also wrote mysteries and other genres of literature, including a memoir. Although these works differ in genre, they each contain Isaac Asimov’s desire to help the world and educate people in any way he could. Isaac Asimov used his work to reflect upon the world and address its problems by helping the reader identify the problems so that he or she can overcome them. Isaac Asimov’s experiences in his earlier life helped form his perception of the world. Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russia in 1920. Asimov moved with his parents to Brooklyn, New York before he turned three (Goldman). His father set up a candy shop, and Isaac taught himself how to read, enjoying the magazines his father sold in the shop. He worked there most of his adolescent years, helping his family make money during the difficult years of the Great Depression. Having Jewish Parents in a primarily Christian country gave Asimov an outsider’s view of religion, which shaped his religious beliefs and his writing about religion (“Isaac Asimov Biography”). As Asimov grew into adulthood, he encountered new experiences, continuing to change his outlook on the world. He served in the military during World War II although he never saw combat (“Asimov, Isaac.”). He grew to dislike war and the concept of violence solving problems, which he demonstrated in his writing. He also spent time on a naval base, which gave him ideas for his Foundation series (Badertscher). He married Gertrude Blugerman in 1942. Once out of the military Asimov pursued his writing career, writing 32 short stories between 1941 and 1949 (“Isaac Asimov Biography”). These stories, originally separate, came to be a part of the Foundation series. He also strove to educate himself, receiving his
Cited: “Asimov, Isaac.” Searchasaurus. World Almanac Education Group Incorporated, 2002. Web. 14 Jan. 2010. “Asimov, Isaac (1920-1992).” The Infidels. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. Badertscher, Eric. Primary Search. N.p., 2005. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. Ed. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. “Foundation.” Literature and Its Times. Vol. 5. 1997. Print. Goldman, Stephen H. “Isaac Asimov.” Twentieth-Century American Science-Fiction Writers. 1981. Print. “Isaac Asimov Biography.” Isaac Asimov Fansite. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2010. . Schwartz, Richard A. "Red Scare, 1950s." Cold War Culture: Media and the Arts, 1945–1990. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2000. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. Wagner, Thomas M. “Foundation.” SfReviews. N.p., 1999. Web. 25 Jan. 2010.