Isaac Asimov is one of the best-known science fiction writers as well as one of the world's most prolific writers of any genre. Isaac was born to Anna and Judah Asimov on January 2, 1920 (White 3), in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, a short-lived republic formed after World War I. He then emigrated to Brooklyn, New York, with his family when he was only three years old (White 7). While living in Brooklyn, Isaac taught himself to read English before the age of five, but retained his ability to speak Yiddish. Isaac Asimov's work shaped science fiction writing into what it is today. Asimov first became interested in science fiction through the nickel magazines published in the candy store his parents owned and operated. Due to his parents' determination that pulp magazines distract him from his schoolwork, Isaac was forced to track them down and read them in secret. His interest in these stories grew over the years, and he was later able to convince his parents that the magazines were good because they had “Science” in their name (White 10). Throughout his childhood and early adulthood, Asimov dabbled in writing, but considered his work inferior and never completed or submitted his early work. At the age of nineteen, Isaac submitted his first story to science fiction magazines, marking the beginning of his successful writing career. Over the years, Asimov has produced more than 500 novels and short stories. (Seiler) His most notable works are "Nightfall", The Foundation Trilogy (later two more books will be added) and the Robot series. The Foundation series is based on the collapse of an empire and the creation of the Foundation, a small, isolated planet that contains the expanse of ...... middle of paper ...... "mechanical". (White 55) Asimov sadly died on April 6, 1992 in New York, New York, from AIDS resulting from an infected blood transfusion during a triple bypass in December 1983. He is today considered one fathers of modern science fiction and one of the key players in transforming a bunch of silly stories into a more serious genre. In the words of Harlan Ellison: “Isaac Asimov had writer's block once. It was the worst ten minutes of his life. Today, Asimov is considered among master writers such as Philip K. Dick, George Orwell and Michael Crichton. Works Cited Asimov, Isaac. Foundation. New York: Random House, 1979. Print. Seiler, Edward. “Isaac Asimov FAQ.” Isaac Asimov's homepage. September 20, 2009. the web. January 29, 2010. .White, Michael. Isaac Asimov. Da Capo Press, 2005. Digital.