Comments on: Isaac Part 1 of I don’t know how many

By: Michael Parker

Michael Parker — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:38:50 +0000

It’s really fantastic to learn more about my hero, Isaac Asimov. My love of science fiction was kindled when my father (my other hero) gave me his copy of “I, Robot” when I was nine years old (might even have been a little younger than that). Luckily for me he had a treasure trove of SF in both hardcover and paperback; Pohl, Clarke, Niven, Card and many others.

My great-grandparents were also Russian Jews who came to this country about the same time that Isaac did so I feel a deep connection with him. It may seem strange, but one of my dreams growing up was to meet Isaac Asimov. Alas, to my regret, I never did. Reading such personal accounts of him is the next best thing to having met him. Thank you. Being a great fan of yours, I hope that I’ll have the good fortune to meet you, especially as I am now an aspiring science fiction writer (just got an honorable mention in Writers of the Future).

By: Stu in Iowa

Stu in Iowa — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:30:18 +0000

Thanks for sharing, I haven’t read Foundation in quite a while. Maybe I’ll get all the books out of storage and read them again.

By: Mark Morris

Mark Morris — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:41:56 +0000

Yay! That was a fun read and very interesting too. Life affirming as well.
Did you guys have New York accents back then?
The comments above made me wonder about that. When I read your blog, I imagine your voice as midwestern–I suppose because I was born and raised in the midwest.

By: cube

cube — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:43:33 +0000

Thank you for sharing that with your readers. Young Isaac was wise enough to figure out a solution for his problems. I’m not surprised.

By: Steve Boyko

Steve Boyko — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:45:10 +0000

Fred, I had no idea you had a blog. I have been a fan of yours for a long time. I came here from John Scalzi’s blog and I am amazed to hear more about Isaac Asimov. Now to read back in your blog…

By: Manu

Manu — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:44:29 +0000

Thanks Fred for the beautiful story. In his autobiography, Asimov touches only briefly on his relationship with his father and his family background - to the point where it almost seems like an afterthought to him. This seems to be a trope of many of the Futurians, including you - as if your true parents were in fact Doc Smith and Campbell. Any thoughts?

By: Brenda Krekeler

Brenda Krekeler — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:49:12 +0000

What an excellent “true to life” story ! My friend Karen loves Isaac. I think he is amazing as well but well I’m in love with the Heechee series author. The Blue Event Horizon remains on my top 10 list. We have a very dedicated scifi club at scificinnnati.com We meet 2-3 times a month for over six years and we are a tight group. Isaac Asimov and Frederick Pohl are part of our ongoing, fascinating discussions. We will look forward to your next “Isaac story when you write it!” Thanks for such a unique insight.

By: Dwight Decker

Dwight Decker — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:09:12 +0000

Somewhere, Asimov wrote about discussing science fiction with his father, I would guess after the ban was lifted. Papa Asimov referred to some writer with the mysterious-sounding name of “Zhool Vayrn,” and it took a while for young Isaac to figure out it was a Russian-influenced simulation of the French pronunciation of the author he knew in Brooklynese as “Joolz Voine.” (Above paraphrased from memory.)

This blog item brought back a couple of unexpected memories for me. Back during my paper route days circa 1966, the Sunday Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch was printed exactly the same way. The funnies and other feature sections were delivered to the distribution office on Thursday and the more timely news sections showed up early Sunday morning. We paperboys were often impressed into service assembling the papers before loading our bikes and delivering them. So the practice of printing Sunday papers in stages must have been pretty universal.