I. Asimov
Thu., October 3, 10:42 AM
I. Asimov
Everybody who knows me at all knows that I get more enjoyment out of reading than any other single activity. Imagine having a method by which you can keep new things just flowing into your mind! And yet, there’s also value in rereading, and I’ve just been doing a lot of that as well.
Recently I reread I. Asimov, the final autobiography that Isaac Asimov wrote. I’ve read the earlier autobiographies, of course, but this volume has an interesting style – evidently because he was no longer well enough to write for hours on end as he had before. Isaac wrote a page or two about each subject – his birth, his parents, his early schooling, and so forth. I just happened to come across this volume and started reading again.
I’d like to write a book that way, not because I’ve led such an interesting life but because I’ve met so many interesting people. Indeed, some of them might not be considered out of the ordinary, but sometimes that makes them all the more fascinating. There probably isn’t a person alive who can’t teach you something of importance, even if it’s negative. (Special example: if you dislike them, don’t emulate them. A real no-brainer.)
I began reading Asimov’s science fiction a l-o-o-ong time ago, and I always enjoyed the true science essays he began writing regularly after Sputnik was launched. His stuff is generally good, enjoyable, easy to read and understand; I used it to nudge my seven-year-old into reading science fiction. Oh sure, I don’t always agree with him. And I’ll never forgive him for dying before we got to know each other. Nevertheless, when I think about writing anything other than letters, I often use Asimov as a guide.
Shortly afterward, I was walking through Barnes & Noble, and I saw a new biography written by Janet Asimov, ten years after his death. Though I wondered whether it would have anything I hadn’t seen before, I bought it anyway. After all, not only did she have access to his notes and letters (though I remember reading a letter collection edited by his brother Stanley); she also lived with the man for thirty years or so.
I tend to say (tediously) that “nothing you ever learn is wasted.” Dr. Asimov said, “Nothing is wasted if you learn something.” It doesn’t quite mean the same thing, but it’s the closest I’ve ever read. Makes me feel so wise!
On the other hand, maybe I need to learn a little more patience. Every time I hear someone say something stupid or wrong, I want to scream at them. My poor little radio takes a lot of heat.
