Lorena Herrera Encuera

VII Library of Science Fiction - Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)

wonder Isaac Asimov was born when really, the discrepancies between the different calendars in use in Russia at the time of his birth and the lack of official records as a result of turbulent times such as these led to believe that he was born in early October of 1919 and the date then official Jan. 2, 1920. Isaac had to be born with the name of И саак Юдович Озимов, which transliterated comes out something like Isaak Iudovich (or judice) Ozimov. However, it is important quell'Isaac Asimov was born January 2, 1920, which will become perhaps the most famous science fiction writer, and will receive the nickname Good Doctor The Good Doctor. So prolific prodigioso, Asimov fu un divulgatore scientifico infaticabile oltre che un narratore in grado di spaziare ben oltre quella science-fiction che era la sua passione primeva e che gli diede la fama iniziale che perdura solida a tutt'oggi. Alla base del suo successo vi è senza dubbio la chiarezza della sua scrittura. A volte è accusato di essere uno scrittore troppo semplice, perfino rozzo, e incapace di dar vita a personaggi realistici. Il mio consiglio è di leggere le sue opere con più attenzione, e non scambiare per sciatteria la sua naturale immediatezza di comunicazione e facilità di scrittura, le "armi" grazie alle quali favoriva la comprensione, una lettura fluida e creava personaggi che univano una perfetta funzionalità narrative and human characteristics of measured and sober realism.


Even without considering, that is what I do, works written with effect from 1982, when starting from the novel The Edge of Foundation he succumbed to the lure and shooting and unified its two series more (the Foundation and Robot), the sequence of novels also of considerable size, his work is still impressive narrative fiction. Asimov gave probably his best short story in copious production, where features dozens of great stories and novels, but also on the length of the novel some of his results were excellent. For convenience, divide its books in different sections: the series, the stories, other novels, anthologies made as a curator, his other activities almost compulsive :-). Also recalling that in the last years of Isaac fittings - a posteriori - Future History in an all-encompassing practically everything he wrote, adding several new cycles originating in those novels I mentioned, not all negligible, but certainly for all fans of the author that the sf tout court.

Asimov A little more than an adolescent

The Series

That the Robot and Foundation.


During the years between '40 Asimov wrote eight novels and short stories that were to compose a coherent story future of our galaxy, completely colonized by humans in the distant future. Influenced by the parable of the rise and decline of the Roman Empire, Asimov chose to narrate the decline of the Galactic Empire and attempts to escape a long Medieval on a galactic scale. The Future History asimoviana creations is one of the most fascinating and rich sense of wonder science fiction classic, and you can well say that his optimism has finally frustrated these days even more topical than the time when those stories were written. In the early 50's eight stories and novellas were collected in three books that make up what is still known as the Trilogy (the original) of the Foundation: First Foundation; Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation . and Italian will become ...

The loop structure of the robot is much more jagged. Also during the 40s Asimov wrote a series of stories focusing precisely on robots, built by the fictional U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corporation. Human actors were some of Powell and Donovan, two men of action in the pay of the company, and other stories, the best, "robopsicologa" Susan Calvin, perhaps a more realistic portrait of a scientist in the history of sf. These stories were gathered in the 50s in the anthology I, Robot ( I, Robot in Italy), with an appendix on in the '60s by The Rest of Robots (The second book of Robot ). Later, other miscellaneous stories and more robots will feed together with the previous in the next 1982 anthology of The Complete Robot ( All of my Robot ). Asimov, however, continue to write stories on the matter until the end.

least four memorable stories contained in the anthology: Liar!; The little robot lost ; Proof ; The avoidable conflict.

here are memorable, at least three stories: higher beings; Satisfaction Guaranteed and Lenny .

Besides those already mentioned, here I want to point out several other stories: Sally, a very strange and sad tale featuring a car-robots that do not easily forget; Victoria involuntary ; Image mirror, where Asimov takes the characters of Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw say in addition; feminine intuition; Luciscultura and the famous, beautiful novella The Bicentennial Man , then horribly murdered in painful film starring Robin Williams.






In the '50s Asimov wrote two of his best novels: The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun ( Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun in Italian). In them we are witnessing the "clash of civilizations" between the two cultures in which humanity was divided: the land, confined to a sovrappopolatissima Earth, characterized by short-lived (our current ...) and real phobia for robots, and relegated to monstrous megalopolis of metal covered by domes and underground and Space, descendants of those who once left the Earth on other planets to form societies characterized by the fundamental presenza dei robot: essi vivono a lungo, fino a quattro secoli, vivono su pianeti scarsamente popolati e le loro (ai nostri occhi bizzarre) culture sono tutte assai più ricche di quella terrestre. Senza scendere nei dettagli dei due celebri romanzi, tra i migliori connubii di fantascienza e giallo, protagonisti di entrambi sono l'investigatore terrestre Elijah Baley, bellissima figura di deraciné asimoviano (nel quale, come nell'Andrew Harlan de La fine dell'Eternità non è difficile intravedere aspetti dell'autore), e il robot umanoide R.Daneel Olivaw (che nella ripresa produttiva degli anni '80 diverrà il cardine centrale attorno al quale Asimov unificherà i suoi cicli narrativi). Senza dubbio tra i migliori personaggi ideati dal Nostro. Nel secondo romanzo Asimov introdurrà un terzo e riuscito personaggio: Gladia Delmarre.

I Racconti

Oltre a quelli raccolti nelle già citate antologie robotiche, Asimov nel corso della sua carriera ha scritto decine, centinaia di racconti, moltissimi dei quali sono nella storia della fantascienza. La Mondadori ha pubblicato tre corposi volumi che raccolgono quasi l'intera produzione novellistica asimoviana (Tutti i racconti voll. 1-3 - The Complete Stories).

La copertina del terzo volume dei racconti completi.

E però le moltissime antologie personali di Asimov pubblicate in precedenza mantengono un loro fascino e un loro perché. Tra le molte mi piace segnalare e consigliare quelle che di seguito elenco.

Riunisce molti (dei moltissimi) racconti scritti nei primi anni di carriera. Inevitabilmente in parecchi casi una certa rozzezza è evidente, ma soprattutto verso la fine si incontrano già esempi pregevoli dell'inventiva asimoviana: Gatto temporale , Copyright and impasse. And most of all the phantasmagoric divertissement that properties of endocroniche tiotimolina risublimata .

The three volumes of the Uranian ' Anthology Staff ( Nightfall and Other Stories) and the two of text and notes ( Buy Jupiter ) will be united in box Oscar Mondadori divided into the two original anthologies. Countless memorable stories. I will just mention some: Night (also known as the night falls ), perhaps the most famous story, and without doubt the best of Asimov; green patches, and if ...? , fulminant story is a true epitome of the sf ; pipe "C" Such a beautiful day, scab, My Son the physical eyes not only to see; Billiards Darwin Day of the hunters; compras Planet, The Founders; The Tiotimolina among the stars.

The casket Double Best of Asimov ( The Best of Isaac Asimov ) brings together the stories that the Good Doctor himself considered his best. Obviously at the time of the original anthology published in 1973. In addition to stories in the anthologies already mentioned above, there are jewels like Who knows how to amuse; The last question; The Cronoscopio; Anniversary .

Earth is room enough is a beautiful anthology anthology that collects some great stories asimoviani. In addition to some already reported in previous anthologies, it is worth remembering Law to vote, the last trump; Dreaming is a private matter.

Asimov's misteries expected to meet a series of detective stories to science fiction than ours, who was a specialist. In addition to the mini-cycle centered on Professor Wendell Urth, a peculiar figure of detective, and some have already seen, is worth reporting at least two other stories: pate de fois gras and A Marsport without Hilda .

In The Winds of Change worth mentioning and Persuasion ideas die hard , in addition to the first appearances of the little demon Azazel, the protagonist in the last years of the life of Isaac Asimov in a series of humorous short stories, at worst very pleasing and at their best delicious, especially the vein of cruelty Isaac and sadism that you poured under the veil of humor.

... And of course the anthology that brings together a good selection of short stories featuring the devil.















Mi permetto infine di consigliare, al di fuori però della science fiction, i cinque volumi dei racconti giallo-umoristici imperniati sul gruppo di amici riuniti nel club dei Vedovi Neri, testimonianza del talento umoristico del Buon Dottore e tra i suoi migliori risultati narrativi.

Gli altri romanzi

Oltre ai due romanzi-capolavoro robotici degli anni '50, e a quelli scritti a partire dal 1982, Asimov ha al suo attivo un certo numero di altri romanzi. Ugualmente negli anni '50 scrisse La fine dell'Eternità ( The End of Eternity ), che insieme a un altro di cui dirò tra poco considero il suo miglior risultato sulla distanza lunga. Nel romanzo è narrata la storia dell'Eternità, il corpo di ingeneri temporali che, sostanzialmente, bloccano la storia umana controllando l'intera linea temporale occupata dall'umanità e impedendo ogni vero e libero sviluppo culturale della nostra specie. La storia e la fine degli Eterni. E' in questo romanzo che agisce Andrew Harlan, l'altro sradicato asimoviano oltre a Elijah Baley, e figura in cui è sicuramente possibile scorgere dei riflessi autobiografici. Sempre agli anni '50 risale il cosiddetto Ciclo dell'Impero. In realtà si tratta di tre romanzi indipendenti, concettualmente unificati set from all three at various times of the formation of that Empire in Asimov Galactic will narrate the fall in the cycle of the Foundation. Of the three, Pebble in the Sky ( Pebble in the Sky) and The Currents of Space ( The currents of space ) are among the best of Isaac, while stars like dust / The Tyrant of the Worlds ( The Stars like Dust / Tyrann ), although decent, has a story leggerina and sometimes not exactly flawless. In 1972, Asimov published The Gods then ( The Gods Themselves ) that I personally sit on the floor of The End of Eternity . The novel, which is rare for fiction asimoviana presents the aliens, but it is mainly a mature reflection on the nature of science and on the figure (the figures) of the scientist.

The editor of anthologies

The bloated writer was also a tireless editor of anthology. Sci-fi first, but in this business Asimov spaced in almost every field of fiction. Alone or more often as a co-curator along with others (particularly his friend Martin H. Greenberg, which is sometimes added further contributions) Isaac has collected and presented to readers in many anthologies, the finest selection of the assets of the novelistic sf Anglo-American. Choice of course according to its criteria and the other editors, but the excellence of their media choices can be easily verified.


The best result achieved in this field is, in my opinion, the series of anthologies The Great Stories of Science Fiction, edited together with Greenberg. It is venticinque volumi che, con criterio annuale, raccolgono i migliori racconti del periodo 1939-1963. Estrapolare un elenco di titoli migliori sarebbe comunque riduttivo; inoltre, perfino più dell'indubbio valore della gran parte dei testi, è la ricostruzione storica complessiva che emerge dai volumi a farne uno strumento indispensabile di conoscenza e apprezzamento della fantascienza classica.

Le copertine del primo e dell'ultimo volume de Le Grandi Storie della Fantascienza

Asimov was the first curator of collections of short stories and novels that received the Hugo Award, the first and still the main field of science fiction. The volume shown here is actually incomplete (Get a veil on the editorial policies Italian) are missing the forest The World by Ursula Le Guin (available for example in the volume of uranium Classics presents the Hugo Award for the biennium 1972-73) .

Dawn of Tomorrow is a full-bodied volumone that brings together a selection of stories of the true origins (the 30s, actually ...) of science fiction magazines. Inevitably i migliori esempi di quei tempi pionieristici sono spesso grezzi; la loro rozzezza è però compensata dalla gestazione evidente di quel patrimonio di idee e concetti che in seguito si disperderà nei mille fertili rivoli della fantascienza che giungono  fino a noi. Tra i racconti più notevoli, a mio parere, vi sono L'uomo che si evolse e Devoluzione di Edmond Hamilton; Tumithak dei corridoi e Tumithak a Shawm di Charles Tanner; Colossus di Donald Wandrei; Bivi nel tempo e Proxima Centauri di Murray Leinster; Il pianeta dei parassiti di Stanley G. Weinbaum; Passato, presente e futuro Nat Schachner.




Along with Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh, another frequent fellow curator, Isaac then edit an anthology series of three volumes (The Great Book of Science Fiction) each dedicated specifically to the best short story of a decade ('30s, '40s and '50s). In the first book I remember, besides Bivi aforementioned time of Leinster, matter of form Horace L. Gold; Who goes there? John W. Campbell jr.; divide and rule L. Sprague de Camp and Wolves from the darkness of Jack Williamson. In the second, in addition to another News of Williamson, his hands crossed (later expanded into the novel The Humanoids ), deserve particular attention Nerves by Lester Del Rey (that will become the novel Nuclear accident ) Of all women born Catherine L. Moore; The Weapon Shop Alfred E. van Vogt (starting point of a series of novels) and Killdozer! of Theodore Sturgeon. In the third volume, finally, I would like ... read all the stories :-)

Two of most beautiful and interesting anthologies which Asimov had a hand as a curator are also the 'Anthology School (later more correctly retitration Where to from here? ) which publishes on its own, and Disasters! for which he worked with Greenberg and Waugh. Definitely worth reading all the stories contained in it, without exception.

decidedly delicious and the anthology edited by Asimov and Greenberg with the usual Joseph D. Olander, whose original title is 100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories and was divided into two volumes on uranium 44 micro-fiction and Microfantascienza: 44 new micro (vabbe'...). Some of the stories are really short of brilliant gems, and this is in any case a reading at the same time relaxing and stimulating.

One of the most unexpected that Asimov anthologies edited, along with Greenberg and Waugh, is certainly Hallucination Orbit - Psychology in fiction. Among the most interesting stories in the volume cite Sound Machine by Roald Dahl; A rose by another name Christopher Anvil; Girotondo the same Isaac; Absalom spouse Henry Kuttner and Catherine L. Moore and The man who could not forget by Robert Silverberg.

asimoviana I wish to close this review with one exception, a volume that is not Asimov or edited by him. But dedicated to him. In general, the celebratory anthologies in which incense fellow writer with stories set in turn fictional universe created by celebrated leave time that they find. This anthology, edited by Sheila Finch on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the literary career of the Good Doctor, however, is una sorprendente smentita, e più di un racconto è valido di per sé. Vorrei citare almeno l'intenso L'ultima sfida di Pamela Sargent che apre il libro; La caduta di Trantor , di Harry Turtledove e Il presente eterno di Barry Malzberg, acutissima chiosa del racconto asimoviano E se...? .



Infine, una buona risorsa online su Isaac:
http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_home_page.html