Biography: Isaac Asimov

June 7, 9:57 PMKansas City Books ExaminerAngie Rayfield

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"Isaac Asimov on Throne" is an original artwork by renowned
science fiction and fantasy illustrator, Rowena Morrill.

Russian-born Isaac Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of modern times, and one of the most versatile. There are more than 500 known books in numerous genres. In fact, Asimov's books can be found in nine of the tem major categories of the Dewey Decimal System. He's absent only from the 100s, philosophy and psychology.

But Asimov is most well-known as a science fiction author. He's identified with the Golden Age of Science Fiction, roughly the late 1930s through to the 1950s, and is one of the masters of the field. In 1964, the Science Fiction Writers of America voted his short story "Nightfall" the best science fiction story of all time, but his most famous work is the "Foundation" series, which won the Hugo Award in 1966 for "Best All-Time Series." The "Galactic Empire" series and "Robot" series are also internationally renowned, and actually exist creatively in the same universe, creating a unified 'future history' spanning some 20,000 years for the three separate sets of work.

Along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov is considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, but he didn't restrict himself to just science fiction. He wrote mysteries, fantasy, and a great deal of non-fiction. Asimov wrote a number of popular science books, writing on general science, physics, astronomy, mathematics, and chemistry. He also tackled the works of William Shakespeare and the Bible.

Over the years, Asimov was honored with an amazing number of awards. He received 14 honorary doctorate degrees from various universities. He received the Nebula Award on three separate occasions, and the Hugo Award on seven. An asteroid was named after him in 1981, and a crater on Mars was christened Asimov in 2009. He was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasty Hall of Fame in 1997.

Quick Facts
Born: January 2, 1920 in Russia
Education: Columbia University in New York, Ph.D. in biochemistry
Married: Gertrude Blugerman on July 26, 1942. Divorced in 1973.
Married: Janet O. Jeppson in 1973
Died: April 6, 1992 in New York City