32 pages • 1 hour read
Isaac AsimovA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Isaac Asimov was born in the rural town of Petrovichi, Russia, and immigrated with his family to the US in 1923. His actual birthdate is uncertain because his mother enrolled him in school early by stating that his birthday was in September 1919, but Asimov himself insisted that he was born on January 2, 1920. He became a naturalized US citizen in 1928.
The Asimovs were from a family of Russian Jewish millers, and their family name means “winter grain.” When the family arrived in the US, Asimov’s father spelled the name with an S, believing this letter to be pronounced like Z. This pronunciation error is referenced in the title of one of Asimov’s short stories, “Spell My Name With an S.” An interest in language, labels, and meanings is likewise present in other works by Asimov, including the short story “Jokester,” in which characters remark that puns are the only original jokes. In “Rain, Rain, Go Away,” the family name Sakkaro is a pun on “saccharine,” or excessively sweet.
As an immigrant of Russian Jewish ancestry, Asimov encountered some of the anti-immigrant attitudes common in the early 20th-century US, and conflict resulting from prejudice and scapegoating later became key themes in the author’s work.
By Isaac Asimov
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
Foundation and Empire
Isaac Asimov
I, Robot
Isaac Asimov
Nightfall
Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg
Robot Dreams
Isaac Asimov
Someday
Isaac Asimov
The Caves of Steel
Isaac Asimov
The Fun They Had
Isaac Asimov
The Gods Themselves
Isaac Asimov
The Last Question
Isaac Asimov
The Ugly Little Boy
Isaac Asimov
True Love
Isaac Asimov
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Education
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Good & Evil
View Collection
Jewish American Literature
View Collection
Nation & Nationalism
View Collection
Order & Chaos
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection