Isaac Asimov
(1920–1992)

Isaac AsimovAnecdote...

Once Horace Gold [editor] went too far. He rejected a story of mine which he called "meretricious." The word is from the Latin meretrix, meaning "prostitute," so that the implication was that I was prostituting my talent and was writing a bad story that would get by on my name alone because I was too lazy to write a good one. (This was not true, by the way. This particular story was sold elsewhere and received considerable acclaim.)

Swallowing my annoyance, I said mildly, "What was that word you used?"

Obviously proud at knowing a word he felt I didn't know, Horace enunciated carefully, "Meretricious!"

Whereupon I said, "And a Happy New Year to you."

 

Quote-worthy...

IIf my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster. —Isaac Asimov


Biographical Note...

Russian-born scientist and author, who in his lifetime wrote over 500 books that enlightened, entertained, and spanned the realm of human knowledge. Asimov came to New York City at age three. A Columbia Ph.D., he taught biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine after 1949. He was an author, lecturer, and broadcaster of legendary prolificacy and astonishing range, but is most admired as a popularizer of science ("The Collapsing Universe" (1977)) and a science fiction writer ("I, Robot" (1950)), "The Foundation Trilogy" (1951–53)). He coined the term "robotics."


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