Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov’s writing won every major award in the science fiction genre; his voice as an author was one that has inspired all other science fiction voices, making him, next to Robert A. Heinlein, the most influential American science fiction writer of his era.

Born in Russia, Asimov fled pogroms with his family to the United States and became a citizen in 1928. Although he was first published in his teens with Marooned off Vesta in 1939, he didn't pursue writing as a full-time career until later in life. In fact, that same year, he earned his first degree, a BS in chemistry, from Columbia University. He followed that with a master's degree in 1941 and a PhD in 1948.

During this time, Asimov wrote part-time and produced his three most famous works: Strange Playfellow (1940), the first story in the Robot series; Nightfall (1941); and Foundation, the first installment of the influential Galactic Empire series.

In 1958, Asimov resigned as a professor to write full time. He focused on non-fiction, including an award-winning popular-science column in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. In 1977, he helped found Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. All told, he wrote or edited over 500 books.