What to Make of Isaac Asimov, Sci-Fi Giant and Dirty Old Man? | Literary Hub

January 2, 2020 marked the centenary of Isaac Asimov's birth; at least, of the birth date the late author celebrated. (In his native Russia, the date of Asimov's birth wasn't precisely recorded.) The anniversary passed with little notice, although Asimov was a towering presence in science fiction and one of the most prolific writers to ever live. A Golden Age grand master and a protegé of Astounding Science Fiction editor John W. Campbell, Asimov coined the word "robotics" and wrote the Foundation series.

The Foundation stories beat J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings to win a 1966 Hugo Award for Best All-Time Series. Today, Tolkien commands a much more visible pop-culture presence than Asimov, but the Foundation stories are still widely read; bring them up in any group, and one or two people are likely to say they devoured the books.