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Title: In Memory Yet Green
(1920-1954)
Series: Asimovian Memoirs #1
Authors:
Isaac Asimov
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre:
Autobiography
Pages: 663
Words:
300K
Publish: 1979
The synopsis/whatever provided by Grokipedia is very long. However, it was not nearly as long as this book and I will say that a little Asimov goes a long way.
This is an autobiography and while I had added the “memoir” tag, Asimov does make it clear that he used his own journals as primary documents and he also used many of his contracts with various magazines and publishers to date stories, etc. Which leaves me feeling pretty comfortable that what is being told here is a step up from a pure memoir. However, and this is a big however, Asimov’s style makes it extremely clear that he is up-selling his positive traits and down playing the negative ones. He doesn’t ignore the bad stuff, but it is almost like he’s writing about them while squinting, so it’s all hazy and unclear.
I was ready for this to be over at the 400 page mark. The level of detail is what I would expect from a chronic journaller and might make historians all gushy, but for someone like me, it was just a flow of minutiae that overwhelmed me. The level of personal detail is why I decided to add the memoir tag. Plus, near the beginning he claims to have a “near-eidetic” memory but later in the book acknowledges he has no memory of certain events or people and that without his journal, they would have disappeared from his mind. So he remembers what he remembers very well, but what he doesn’t remember, he doesn’t remember not remembering. If that makes sense? Which means anything from his memory is suspect, which is what memoirs are all about.
I actually took a break from reading this after the 400page mark and read a couple of other things, just to give myself some breathing room. I actually read The Black Colossus, Edgar and Emma and The White Rose. A novella, a short story and a novel and it was barely enough.
Don’t get me wrong, Asimov wrote smoothly, with a funny and very witty style and he was never a bore or pompous. But just like anyone who finds a track of success, sometimes they overuse that “joke” and by the third time it’s just embarrassing to listen to them instead of being uproariously funny like the first time. Like I said, I’d reached my limit by 400 pages and the book was just under 700.
I am pretty much done my reading of Asimov’s fiction, which is why I chose to dive into this trilogy about the author as a man. That usually doesn’t work out so well for me and this was about what I expected. Asimov was a lech and very handsy (even by 1940’s and 1950’s standards) and I am surprised that he wasn’t beaten up. I know I would probably have threatened to blow his brains out. He was also an adulterer and philanderer and didn’t try to hide that in this volume. He does downplay it and there is nothing salacious, but it is clear he would take just about anything offered by any woman he found attractive.
I learned a lot about his growing up years and his breaking into the literary world and I’m glad I did. I also made up the “series” title because there is this volume and then the next, which covers up to 1978 and then there was a posthumous volume entitled “I, Asimov”, all of which comprise an autobiography but assembled at various times and by various people (Asimov died in 1992 I believe).
The title of this volume, and the next
volume (In Joy Still Felt), are taken from an anonymous poem
that Asimov included at the beginning of the book. Here it is:
In
memory yet green, in joy still felt,
The scenes of life rise
sharply into view.
We triumph, Time's disasters are undealt,
And while all else is old, the world is new.
I will not try to psychoanalyze that at all. You are more than welcome too if you so desire.
★★★★☆
From Grokipedia.com
In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography, 1920-1954 is the first volume of Isaac Asimov's autobiography, published in 1979 by Doubleday & Company, Inc. [1] [2] It chronicles the author's life and career from his birth in 1920 through 1954, marking the period of his early years, immigration to the United States, education, and emergence as a writer in science fiction and science popularization. [3] The book is notable as Asimov's two-hundredth published work, in which he applies his characteristic candid and engaging style to recounting his own experiences in science, science fiction, and related pursuits. [4]The autobiography serves as a detailed personal account from one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century, whose output spanned multiple genres and disciplines. [4] A companion second volume, In Joy Still Felt, continues the narrative from 1954 onward. [5] The work provides insight into Asimov's development as a writer during a formative era of his professional life. [3]
Background
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was born on January 2, 1920, in Petrovichi, Russia, and emigrated to the United States with his family, arriving in New York City on February 3, 1923, at the age of three.[6] He grew up in Brooklyn and pursued his education at Columbia University, where he earned a B.S. in chemistry in 1939, an M.A. in 1941, and a Ph.D. in 1948.[6] Asimov joined the Boston University School of Medicine faculty in 1949 as an instructor in biochemistry, advancing to assistant professor in 1951, associate professor in 1955, and ultimately full professor in 1979, though he relinquished active teaching duties in 1958 to focus on writing while retaining his title.[6]Asimov established himself as a prolific author and science popularizer, producing works across science fiction, popular science, mystery, and other fields.[7] Widely regarded as one of the most prolific writers in history, he authored or edited hundreds of books over his career.[6] In 1979, In Memory Yet Green was published as his 200th book, coinciding with Opus 200, a collection highlighting his first two hundred titles.[6] His major science fiction contributions, including the Foundation series and the landmark short story "Nightfall," had already earned him enduring acclaim in the genre by the time he undertook his autobiography.[6] In Memory Yet Green itself covers Asimov's life from 1920 to 1954; he transitioned to full-time writing in 1958.[6]
Writing and purpose
Asimov composed In Memory Yet Green during the late 1970s, when he had achieved extraordinary productivity and renown, marking the book itself as his 200th published work.[8] This timing allowed the autobiography to serve as a reflective self-portrait, capturing his ascent from a child of Russian immigrants to a leading figure in science fiction and popular science writing.[9]His motivation stemmed in large part from a lifelong compulsive work ethic, rooted in his father's frequent criticisms labeling him a "fulyack" (Yiddish for sluggard), which instilled a deep-seated fear of idleness and drove him to maintain relentless output across decades.[8] By documenting his early life and career in exhaustive detail, Asimov sought to chronicle this transformation and affirm his accomplishments against that early judgment.[8]To ensure precision and depth, he relied on the diaries he had kept compulsively since youth, chronicling minutiae such as birthdays, acquisitions of typewriters or telephones, and daily events.[9] These records enabled the autobiography's remarkable factual accuracy and granular reconstruction of his experiences.[9]
Publication history
Original publication
In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography, 1920-1954 was first published on February 9, 1979, by Doubleday & Company, Inc. in Garden City, New York.[10] This initial hardcover edition contained ix + 732 pages (with additional plates), bore the ISBN 0-385-13679-X, and retailed for $15.95.[10] The book marked a notable publishing event as one of two volumes—alongside the Houghton Mifflin anthology Opus 200—promoted as Isaac Asimov's 200th book, celebrating his prolific career across science fiction, popular science, and other genres.[11] This milestone designation underscored the release's significance for Asimov's wide audience, who followed his extensive output with enthusiasm.[12] The Doubleday edition, issued as the first volume of Asimov's autobiography, represented a major hardcover release tailored to his established readership.[13]
Editions and reprints
Following the original 1979 hardcover publication by Doubleday, In Memory Yet Green was reprinted as a trade paperback by Avon Books in 1980. [10] This edition, with ISBN 978-0380754328, retained the complete original text across 732 pages and was presented as the first volume of Isaac Asimov's autobiography. [2] The sequel, In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954-1978, appeared the same year, forming a two-volume continuation of his life story. [14] The Avon paperback remains available through used book markets and online sellers. [15]
Content summary
Early childhood and immigration
In "In Memory Yet Green", Asimov recounts his birth on January 2, 1920, in Petrovichi, a small town in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (now in Russia), to Jewish parents Judah Asimov and Anna Rachel Berman Asimov. [6] Facing difficult conditions in post-revolutionary Russia, including economic hardship and political uncertainty, the family decided to emigrate to the United States for better opportunities. [6] [16] They departed the Soviet Union on January 11, 1923, and arrived in New York City on February 3, 1923, when Asimov was three years old. [6]The family settled in the East New York section of Brooklyn at 425 Van Siclen Avenue, where they began their new life as Russian-speaking Jewish immigrants. [6] Judah Asimov, initially penniless and unable to speak or read English, worked various jobs before saving enough to open a candy store, which became the family's home and primary source of income. [17] [16] The store operated long hours, often from early morning to late at night, reflecting the demanding work ethic of immigrant life in Brooklyn. [17]As a young child in a non-English-speaking household, Asimov initially struggled with the new language. [17] Before the age of five, however, he taught himself to read by carefully deciphering shop signs and street signs around Brooklyn, driven by intense curiosity and determination to understand his surroundings. [17] These early efforts at self-education amid the challenges of immigration are presented in the autobiography as foundational to his later intellectual development. [17]
School years and self-education
Asimov portrays his school years as those of a child prodigy who advanced quickly through the educational system. [3] He skipped several grades in elementary school and earned A's in nearly every subject, receiving only lower marks in deportment. [9] [18]His early introduction to fiction came through a friendship with a talkative classmate who mesmerized him with invented stories, marking his first meaningful encounter with narrative literature. [18] [3] This experience fueled his growing passion for reading, which he pursued independently by secretly borrowing science fiction pulp magazines from the display rack in his father's candy store. [18] He read them in hiding and carefully returned them to appear untouched, allowing him to explore the genre without parental knowledge. [4]
College and graduate studies
In Memory Yet Green recounts Isaac Asimov's accelerated entry into higher education, beginning in 1935 at the age of fifteen after graduating from high school.[19] He initially enrolled at City College of New York for a few days before switching to Seth Low Junior College, the Brooklyn campus of Columbia University, where he received a $100 scholarship.[19] The book describes his disappointment at not gaining direct admission to the more prestigious Columbia College proper, instead starting at the less elite Seth Low branch, which served commuter students and had a predominantly Jewish and Italian student body.[4][20]Seth Low Junior College closed after Asimov's freshman year in 1936, prompting his transfer to Columbia University's main Morningside Heights campus.[19] There, he pursued chemistry as his major, completing his Bachelor of Science degree in 1939 at age nineteen.[19] The autobiography details his persistence in graduate studies despite obstacles, including initial rejection from Columbia's master's program in chemistry after being turned down by medical schools; he successfully argued for probationary admission, which was lifted after one year, resulting in his Master of Arts degree in 1941.[19]Asimov continued directly into Columbia's doctoral program in chemistry, though his research faced significant interruption from 1942 to 1946 due to overlapping wartime commitments.[19] He completed his PhD in chemistry in May 1948, marking the culmination of his formal academic training in the field.[19] The book covers these experiences across roughly pages 139–165, emphasizing his rapid progression, financial strains, admissions challenges, and the intellectual rigor of his chemistry studies at Columbia.[20]
World War II and military service
During World War II, Asimov describes being recruited to work as a civilian chemist at the Naval Air Experimental Station in Philadelphia (commonly known as the Philadelphia Navy Yard) starting in May 1942, following a recommendation from fellow science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, who was already employed there. [21] [19] His duties primarily involved routine laboratory testing of materials used in naval aircraft, such as soaps, cleaners, seam sealers, plastics, and other substances, to ensure they met specifications for quality and performance. [21] As an example, he details testing waterproofness by placing calcium chloride in aluminum pans, covering them with the material under examination, sealing the edges with wax, weighing them before and after exposure to humidity for twenty-four hours, and measuring any weight gain due to water absorption. [21] Asimov reflects that his contributions were limited and routine, expressing the belief that in peacetime he would have been considered incompetent and dismissed for failing to innovate or advance beyond basic compliance testing. [21] He also notes learning to write technical specifications in the deliberately complex "Navy style" and once submitted a deliberately satirical version as an experiment, only to have it praised as exemplary by superiors. [22]Despite the war's conclusion in Europe and the Pacific, Asimov recounts persistent anxiety over potential conscription and his efforts to avoid induction through legal deferments. [22] He was eventually drafted and inducted into the U.S. Army on November 1, 1945. [22] [19] After initial processing at Fort Meade, Maryland, he was assigned to Camp Lee, Virginia, where—despite classification as a "critically needed specialist" in chemistry—he and other technically trained personnel were relegated to clerical and typing duties. [22] Later transferred to Oahu, Hawaii, Asimov narrowly escaped assignment to observe the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll due to a clerical error that mistakenly recorded him as discharged and halted family allotment payments; he leveraged this administrative mistake to secure a return to the mainland for correction. [22] The issue was resolved in his favor, resulting in an honorable discharge on July 26, 1946, at the rank of corporal after nine months of service. [22]Asimov characterizes much of his military experience as absurd and Kafkaesque, particularly the misallocation of skilled personnel and the continuation of the draft after victory. [22] He relates two rare episodes of intoxication among his anecdotes: on one occasion, after becoming drunk, he professed love to a fellow soldier named Stash, who reacted defensively by preparing to fight off an embrace, after which Asimov giggled through the night and reflected that it was the only truly happy day he had in the Army, musing that such episodes explain why people drink; on another, he soothed a hiccuping, affectionate drunken bunkmate named Upton by reciting a humorous poem about the exaggerated love between drunken men, after which Upton vomited and fell asleep. [22]
Postwar academic career
In In Memory Yet Green, Asimov describes resuming his professional life after the war by joining the biochemistry department at Boston University School of Medicine in 1949 as an instructor, where he taught classes and conducted some research on nucleic acids and paper chromatography with the goal of studying cancer tissue, though he later reflected that this line of inquiry would not have produced meaningful results. [23] He particularly enjoyed lecturing and received standing ovations from his classes at the medical school, while he also began delivering popular science talks beyond the university. [18] [23] After struggling with administrative hurdles for raises and promotions, he advanced to Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at the end of 1951. [23] Although he liked lecturing and had no objection to grading objective-answer questions, Asimov expressed strong distaste for grading essay questions, performing laboratory research, and authoring scientific papers or textbooks. [23]The autobiography covers elements of his personal life during this period, including his marriage to his first wife, Gertrude. [4] The couple moved several times, first to a hot converted attic apartment, then to a more comfortable apartment, and finally to their first house. [23] After nine years of marriage and having abandoned hopes of having children, Gertrude gave birth to their son David shortly after Asimov experienced kidney stones, an event that led him to obtain life insurance and prepare a will. [23] [19] During these years, he learned to drive and purchased a Plymouth automobile to ease his commute. [23]Asimov also recounts his gradual transition toward full-time writing, noting that his writing income rose sharply and eventually surpassed his university salary, prompting him to regard writing as his primary vocation and his academic role as secondary. [23] His growing success in science fiction, addressed in the section on his rise in the field, supported this shift. The book concludes with the initial stages of disputes over his university position. [18]
Rise in science fiction
In Memory Yet Green details Asimov's entry into professional science fiction writing in 1938, when he began submitting short stories to pulp magazines while still a teenager, receiving numerous rejections before his persistence paid off with his first acceptance. His first published story, "Marooned off Vesta," appeared in Amazing Stories in October 1939 after being sold to editor Raymond A. Palmer. Asimov describes his early involvement with the Futurians, a New York-based fan group that included aspiring writers and future editors such as Frederik Pohl and Donald A. Wollheim, providing him with encouragement and contacts in the field even as he remained somewhat on the periphery due to his heavy focus on writing and studies.A key turning point came in his relationship with John W. Campbell, the editor of Astounding Science-Fiction, whom Asimov first met in 1938. Campbell rejected Asimov's early submissions but offered detailed feedback and encouragement, eventually publishing his stories starting in 1940 and becoming a major influence on his career. In 1941, Campbell supplied the premise for "Nightfall," a story about a planet with six suns experiencing darkness for the first time, which Asimov wrote quickly and which appeared in Astounding to significant acclaim within the genre. Asimov recounts the story's rapid composition and its status as one of his most successful early works, helping solidify his reputation among readers and editors.The autobiography further describes the inception of the Foundation series in 1942, when Campbell suggested the idea of a science of psychohistory to predict the future of a galactic empire, inspired by Gibbon's history of Rome; Asimov began the series with the novelette "Foundation," published in Astounding that year, followed by sequels that appeared over the next decade. He notes the magazine's payment rates of around one to two cents per word, which provided supplemental income alongside his academic position, though the economics of pulp publishing required prolific output to sustain a career. By 1954, Asimov had produced dozens of stories, established the Foundation narrative as a major work, and transitioned toward book publication with early novels such as Pebble in the Sky (1950) and the collected Foundation trilogy (1951–1953), marking his rise to prominence as one of the field's leading authors.
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