Isaac Asimov: American writer and biochemist (1920–1992)

He was also a biochemist with a PhD from Columbia University.

Isaac Asimov
Native name	Russian: Айзек Азимов, romanized: Aizek Azimov
Born	c. January 2, 1920 Petrovichi, Klimovichskiy Uyezd, Russian SFSR
Died	April 6, 1992(1992-04-06) (aged 72) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Writer, professor of biochemistry
Citizenship	Russian (early years), American
Education	Bachelor of Science, 1939 Master of Arts, 1941 Doctor of Philosophy, 1948
Alma mater	Columbia University
Genre	Science fiction (hard SF, social SF), mystery
Subject	Popular science, science textbooks, essays, literary criticism
Literary movement	Golden Age of Science Fiction
Years active	1939–1992
Spouse	Gertrude Blugerman (m. 1942; div. 1973) Janet Opal Jeppson (m. 1973)
Children	2
Signature
Scientific career
Fields	Biochemistry
Institutions	Boston University
Thesis	The kinetics of the reaction inactivation of tyrosinase during its catalysis of the aerobic oxidation of catechol (1948)
Doctoral advisor	Charles Reginald Dawson
Other academic advisors	Robert Elderfield (post-doctoral)

Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Smolensk Oblast, Russian SFSR to a Jewish family, on an unknown date between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920. Asimov celebrated his birthday on January 2. He was taken to the United States when he was three, and learned English and Yiddish as his native languages. He wrote many books. People know about Isaac Asimov because of his science fiction books and his science books for non-scientists.

Asimov's most famous books were the Foundation series. He also wrote the Galactic Empire, the Robot Series, mystery, fantasy, and non-fiction books. He wrote the Norby series with his wife, Janet Asimov. He wrote or edited over 500 books and about 90,000 letters. Other subjects he wrote about were history, the Bible, literature, and sexuality.

Many of Asimov's early writings were short stories published in cheap science fiction and fantasy magazines. Years later, most of them were collected and republished as collections. Well-known collections include I, Robot, The Rest of the Robots, Earth is Room Enough and The Early Asimov.

Asimov's reading list

Asimov made a list of 15 of his science fiction books, which he advised should be read in this order:

1. I, Robot (1950). Alternatively, The Complete Robot (1982).
2. Caves of Steel (1954).
3. The Naked Sun (1957).
4. The Robots of Dawn (1983).
5. Robots and Empire (1985).
6. The Currents of Space (1952).
7. The Stars, Like Dust (1951).
8. Pebble in the Sky (1950).
9. Prelude to Foundation (1988).
10. Forward the Foundation (1993).
11. Foundation (1951).
12. Foundation and Empire (1952).
13. Second Foundation (1953).
14. Foundation's Edge (1982).
15. Foundation and Earth (1986).

Numbers 1–5 are 'Robot' books; 6–8 are 'Galacticos Empire' books; 9–15 are Foundation series books.

Asimov's novels have influenced science fiction on television and movie. Especially his 'Three Laws of Robotics' is a lasting contribution to our thinking.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Although ethnically a Jew, Asimov was an atheist:

"I am an atheist, out and out. It took me quite a long time to say it. I've been an atheist for years and years, but somehow ... it was better to say one was a humanist or an agnostic".

When he had heart surgery in 1983, he received blood infected with HIV. He developed AIDS, and died of the effects of the medical condition in 1992. His widow did not speak of this until years later.

• Arthur C. Clarke