Spell My Name with an S
Encyclopedia
"Spell My Name with an S" is a science fiction
short story
by Isaac Asimov
. The story first appeared in the January 1958 (and only) issue of Star Science Fiction under the title S as in Zebatinsky, and was reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows
under Asimov's original title. The story was inspired by Asimov's frustration with the frequent misspelling of his name as "Azimov".
Asimov comments that the last section of the story was put in as an afterthought. Despite the happy ending, Asimov wasn't satisfied, as the numerologist hadn't been accounted for. So he put in the last part to explain the numerologist, giving the story a sad ending after all.
A complicated series of events ensue in which Zebatinsky/Sebatinsky is investigated by the Security establishment, who feel that he must be trying to hide something. His Polish origins lead them to suspect that he is trying to distract attention from relatives in the Eastern Bloc. They discover that he does have a distant cousin who is also a physicist, which leads to the discovery that the Soviet Union
is working on force-fields as a nuclear defense.
The Americans immediately start to develop their own counter-defense. They still have no real reason to suspect Zebatinsky/Sebatinsky, but just in case they look for a discreet way to get him out of the classified project in which he is engaged. Much to his surprise (and delight), Zebatinsky/Sebatinsky is appointed to a senior professorial post, which is exactly what he hoped for when he went to the numerologist.
At the end of the story, it is revealed that the numerologist is actually an extraterrestrial
and that he was involved in a bet as to whether he could avert a nuclear war on Earth with a minor stimulus (see Butterfly effect
). Though it is not explicitly specified, it is clear that the extraterrestrial in question is a brilliant school-boy (or the equivalent among creatures of pure energy who live in space) who made a bet with another pupil. The story concludes with the same two beings making another bet to put everything back the way it was with another minuscule alteration, with the inevitable consequence that the world will end in nuclear holocaust.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. The story first appeared in the January 1958 (and only) issue of Star Science Fiction under the title S as in Zebatinsky, and was reprinted in the 1959 collection Nine Tomorrows
Nine Tomorrows
Nine Tomorrows is a collection of nine short stories and two pieces of comic verse by Isaac Asimov. The pieces were all originally published in magazines between 1956 and 1958, with the exception of the closing poem, "Rejection Slips", which was original to the collection. The book was first...
under Asimov's original title. The story was inspired by Asimov's frustration with the frequent misspelling of his name as "Azimov".
Asimov comments that the last section of the story was put in as an afterthought. Despite the happy ending, Asimov wasn't satisfied, as the numerologist hadn't been accounted for. So he put in the last part to explain the numerologist, giving the story a sad ending after all.
Plot summary
The story concerns Marshall Zebatinsky, a Polish-American nuclear physicist. He is concerned that his career has stalled, and in desperation consults a numerologist for advice on restarting it. The numerologist advises him to change the first letter of his name to "S": Sebatinsky.A complicated series of events ensue in which Zebatinsky/Sebatinsky is investigated by the Security establishment, who feel that he must be trying to hide something. His Polish origins lead them to suspect that he is trying to distract attention from relatives in the Eastern Bloc. They discover that he does have a distant cousin who is also a physicist, which leads to the discovery that the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
is working on force-fields as a nuclear defense.
The Americans immediately start to develop their own counter-defense. They still have no real reason to suspect Zebatinsky/Sebatinsky, but just in case they look for a discreet way to get him out of the classified project in which he is engaged. Much to his surprise (and delight), Zebatinsky/Sebatinsky is appointed to a senior professorial post, which is exactly what he hoped for when he went to the numerologist.
At the end of the story, it is revealed that the numerologist is actually an extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
and that he was involved in a bet as to whether he could avert a nuclear war on Earth with a minor stimulus (see Butterfly effect
Butterfly effect
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions; where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state...
). Though it is not explicitly specified, it is clear that the extraterrestrial in question is a brilliant school-boy (or the equivalent among creatures of pure energy who live in space) who made a bet with another pupil. The story concludes with the same two beings making another bet to put everything back the way it was with another minuscule alteration, with the inevitable consequence that the world will end in nuclear holocaust.