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Title: In Joy Still Felt
(1954-1978)
Series: Asimovian Memoirs #2
Authors:
Isaac Asimov
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre:
Autobiography
Pages: 778
Words:
307K
Publish: 1980
Reading this went much smoother than
the previous book, “In Memory Yet Green”. Part
of that was that it was getting into the stuff I wanted to actually
read about, his breaking out into a successful SF author and his
growing fame as an author in general. I kept waiting to hit that wall
like I had in the first book, where I had to take a break, and it
never came. I sailed through this like a space shark scenting space
blood, in space ;-) It felt really good to be honest.
The
downside was that as he became more famous, his ego came more to the
forefront and there were several instances that he records where all
I could think was “this whole situation came about because of your
monstrous ego”. He still keeps things light, but he wasn’t just
the aggrieved party in several instances.
There
was obviously something up with his son David, that he doesn’t talk
about. David had to go to private schools to finish high school, took
5 years to do so and Asimov states something like “and it was
obvious college was out for him”. Asimov just doesn’t interact
with his son as he becomes an adult and doesn’t write about him. I
really wouldn’t have noticed it (and assumed it was for privacy’s
sake) except he writes a LOT about his second child, his daughter.
She gets all sorts of stories told and he interacts with her like
you’d assume a father would. Then there’s his first wife Gertrude
who Asimov ended up divorcing. Even in the first book, and more so
here, she’s very much a non-entity in his life. I don’t know if
she played that small a role in his life or if he just didn’t want
to write about her. Either way, it felt very weird to not-read about
his wife and son, especially with the example of his daughter. And
when he remarries, he has all sorts of things to say about his second
wife, so I suspect he was trying to practice the “if you don’t
have anything nice to say….” routine. But man, it was quite
noticeable.
Asimov
was an extremely personable man and it showed in how he could handle
speaking engagements, almost off the cuff. That ability comes through
in his writing and made for a good time. While I didn’t agree with
a lot of stuff he did, or believed, it never impacted how he wrote.
He was a very liberal man, politically and morally and I believe he
would have fit right into the WOKE crowd or the ME TOO group. How he
wrote about Richard Nixon (literally calling him Hitler) reminded me
of how neo-liberals of today feel about Trump. And their game book
hasn’t changed a bit. Act outraged about something, call others
super nasty names and take the moral high ground on an issue that
nobody is arguing about. It made laugh to see this carried out 50
years earlier, hahahaha :-)
There
is one more book in this “Asimovian Memoirs” trilogy, that was a
compilation of these two books and some new stuff and some posthumous stuff by his wife Janet. While I’m not looking forward to going
over some of the same ground as I’ve already trod, I think the new
stuff will be worth it.
★★★★☆
From
Grokipedia.com
Relation to Asimov's autobiographies
In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of
Isaac Asimov, 1954-1978 constitutes the second volume of Asimov's
detailed autobiographical project, directly following In Memory Yet
Green: The Autobiography, 1920-1954, which documented his early life
and career up to 1954. [1] This volume extends the
chronological narrative to cover the period from 1954 to 1978,
preserving the exhaustive, day-by-day style characteristic of the
initial installment. [2] The titles of both In Memory Yet
Green and In Joy Still Felt derive from the same poetic lines—"In
memory yet green, in joy still felt, / The scenes of life rise
sharply into view"—which Asimov featured prominently in the
volumes. [3]Combined, the two volumes total approximately
640,000 words, reflecting Asimov's commitment to a highly
comprehensive and uncondensed recounting of his life. [4] In
contrast, Asimov's later I. Asimov: A Memoir (1994) presents a more
condensed overview of his entire life, departing from strict
chronological detail in favor of a structure organized around
thematic and emotional elements. [5]A further abridged selection
drawn from his autobiographical material appeared in 2002 as It's
Been a Good Life.
Context of the covered period
The period from 1954 to 1978
represented a pivotal transformation in Isaac Asimov's career, as he
transitioned from balancing academic responsibilities with writing to
dedicating himself exclusively to authorship. In the mid-1950s,
Asimov continued his role as associate professor of biochemistry at
Boston University School of Medicine, having joined the faculty in
1949 and been promoted to associate professor in 1955. [6] This
academic phase overlapped with his ongoing science fiction output,
but in 1958 he ceased active teaching duties and salary (effective
June 30, 1958) amid university concerns over his lack of research,
becoming a full-time writer while retaining his university title
after negotiations. [2] [6]The shift to full-time writing
was accelerated by the 1957 launch of Sputnik, which spurred Asimov
to address perceived deficiencies in American science education
through accessible nonfiction. [7] Beginning in November
1958, he launched a monthly science essay column in The
Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction that continued
uninterrupted for 399 issues, earning him a special Hugo Award in
1963 for bridging science and science fiction. [2] This
period saw an extraordinary expansion of his popular science
nonfiction, encompassing books on a wide array of scientific subjects
alongside works on literature, history, and other topics,
establishing him as one of the era's most prolific and influential
popularizers of knowledge. [2]Asimov further diversified his
output to include mystery stories, literary and biblical guides, and
humorous pieces, reflecting his versatility beyond traditional
science fiction and science exposition. [2] Concurrently,
science fiction achieved greater cultural respectability during the
1950s through 1970s, aided by broader societal interest in science
amid the space age and Asimov's own growing public prominence as a
writer, speaker, and commentator who made complex ideas approachable
to general audiences. [2] His intermittent but influential
presence in the field, combined with his extensive nonfiction
contributions, helped elevate science fiction's status and cemented
his reputation as a central figure in its mainstream acceptance. [2]
Development and writing process
Isaac Asimov composed In Joy
Still Felt by culling material from his extensive personal
diaries, which provided the chronological structure and precise
factual details for the period from 1954 to 1978. [8] These
diaries served as the primary source for documenting events, dates,
and daily occurrences, enabling a highly accurate and methodical
reconstruction of his life during those years. Asimov's exceptional
memory supplemented the diaries by allowing him to recall vivid
conversations, emotions, and incidental details that added depth to
the narrative.The writing process reflected Asimov's disciplined and
prolific habits, resulting in a lengthy, detailed manuscript focused
on factual precision over interpretive embellishment. In the
autobiography, Asimov adopted a candid and self-aware tone,
cheerfully recounting his professional successes and personal
achievements while openly admitting his faults, stupidities, moments
of vanity, and failures. [9] He balanced self-appreciation
with frank admissions of shortcomings and errors in judgment,
creating an engaging portrayal of both accomplishment and human
imperfection. [9]Janet Asimov later critiqued the two original
autobiographical volumes as too factual and reserved, describing them
as overly chronological and emotionally restrained. [10] This
observation, made in connection with the preparation of the
subsequent memoir I. Asimov, highlighted her view that
the earlier works prioritized detail and sequence at the expense of
deeper emotional expression.
Content
Structure and organization
In Joy Still Felt is
divided into five chronological parts, which together contain
forty-six chapters. [9] [11] The book extends to 828
pages in its original edition and follows a detailed, sequential
narrative that traces Asimov's life and work from 1954
onward. [12] [13] Within each chapter, the text breaks
into numerous short sections, often presented as brief anecdotes or
focused accounts of particular incidents, creating a fragmented yet
densely packed progression that mirrors the author's meticulous
record-keeping. [9] [14] This format emphasizes
discrete events over extended thematic discussions, resulting in a
diary-like chronicle of daily and professional developments. [9]The
main body of the narrative concludes on December 31, 1977, after
which a short updating section brings select details forward to
1979. [9] This organization supports a rigorous
chronological framework while accommodating the inclusion of
photographs, appendices, and indexes. [13]
Professional
milestones
In "In Joy Still Felt,"
Asimov describes the opening of the covered period as coinciding with
his ongoing role as a biochemistry professor at Boston University
School of Medicine, where he encountered administrative disapproval
for producing nonfiction books during what superiors considered
academic time. [15] This tension escalated into a
significant conflict, leading him to relinquish salaried teaching
responsibilities in the late 1950s while retaining his faculty title
as a nonsalaried associate professor, a change that freed him to
pursue writing full-time. [11] [9] The autobiography
later notes his eventual promotion to full professor, along with
honorary degrees and Boston University's archival collection of his
works. [9]Asimov recounts his fiction output during these years,
beginning with the 1954 publication of The Caves of Steel,
a key novel blending science fiction and mystery. [11] Notable
later works include the 1966 novelization Fantastic Voyage,
written to accompany the film, and The Gods
Themselves (1972), which earned both the Hugo and Nebula
Awards for best novel. [9] He also expanded into mystery
fiction during the 1970s, alongside specialized nonfiction such as
guides to the Bible and Shakespeare, and collections of original
limericks. [9]The book emphasizes Asimov's rapid growth in
nonfiction writing across science, history, and other fields,
culminating in the celebration of his 200th published book near the
end of the period, marked by Opus 200 and the
first volume of his autobiography. [9] [15] This
prolific output reflected a shift toward popular science exposition
and away from heavy science fiction production. [9]Asimov
chronicles his rising public profile, including the 1977 founding
of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, which
extended his influence in the genre. [9] He also details
the growth of his career as a sought-after speaker and television
commentator, with increasing fees and engagements that solidified his
status as a prominent explainer of science. [9]
Personal
life events
In "In Joy Still Felt",
Asimov recounts the birth of his daughter Robyn Joan in 1955, joining
her older brother David in the family he shared with his first wife
Gertrude. [16] The autobiography touches on family life
during this period, though it focuses more on later
developments. [16]The deaths of his parents marked significant
personal losses: his father Judah died in 1969, followed by his
mother Anna in 1973. [16] Asimov describes bidding farewell
to his father in a dedicated chapter. [13]After separating from
Gertrude in 1970, Asimov finalized his divorce on November 16, 1973,
ending a marriage that had lasted 31 years. [16] He married
Janet Jeppson two weeks later on November 30, 1973, and the
autobiography includes a chapter on this second
marriage. [16] [13]Asimov details his health challenges,
including a thyroid condition addressed in the chapter "My
Thyroid," which contemporary reviews describe as thyroid
cancer. [13] [17] In 1977 he suffered a heart attack,
covered in the chapter "Coronary" along with his
recovery. [13]Due to severe acrophobia that limited his air
travel to only two flights in his lifetime, Asimov preferred ocean
cruises for longer journeys and describes several such trips during
the 1970s, including one eclipse cruise taken alone. [16] [13] These
personal changes, including his remarriage, contributed to greater
flexibility in his later years. [16]
Interactions and anecdotes
In Joy Still Felt is filled with
Asimov's recollections of his encounters with a wide range of figures
in science fiction and popular culture, offering a glimpse into the
social dynamics of the genre during the period. He describes his
long-standing friendships with Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A.
Heinlein, including their mutual admiration, playful rivalries, and
occasional disagreements on topics like politics and writing styles.
Asimov recounts humorous exchanges with Clarke, such as their
informal agreement on how to handle compliments about each other's
work, and notes moments of tension and reconciliation with Heinlein
amid their differing views.Anecdotes about Harlan Ellison highlight
Ellison's volatile personality, including pranks, heated arguments at
conventions, and eventual amicable resolutions. Asimov also shares
stories involving Larry Niven and Robert Silverberg, often centered
on convention appearances and casual discussions of ideas. His
relationship with editors Lester del Rey and Judy-Lynn del Rey is
portrayed through social gatherings, professional advice, and
light-hearted banter.Asimov includes encounters with figures outside
science fiction, such as astronomer Carl Sagan, with whom he
discussed popular science and shared mutual respect, as well as brief
meetings with actresses Raquel Welch and Julie Newmar at public
events or conventions. Throughout these accounts, he intersperses
self-deprecating humor about his own ego, such as his tendency to
dominate conversations, his love of attention at gatherings, and his
habit of reciting limericks or puns to entertain or deflect. These
candid reflections underscore his awareness of his foibles while
portraying the lively, sometimes contentious world of fandom and
professional science fiction circles.
