The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories
Encyclopedia
The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories is a science fiction
anthology
written and edited by Isaac Asimov
(ISBN 0-385-12198-9). Following the usual form for Asimov collections, it consists of eleven short stories
and a poem surrounded by commentary describing how each came to be written. The stories are as follows (original publication in parentheses):
Two of the stories, "Feminine Intuition" and "The Bicentennial Man", were inspired by Judy-Lynn del Rey
. The latter was expanded into a novel, The Positronic Man
(with Robert Silverberg
), which formed the basis of the 1999 Touchstone Pictures
and Columbia Pictures
film Bicentennial Man
.
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...
anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
written and edited 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...
(ISBN 0-385-12198-9). Following the usual form for Asimov collections, it consists of eleven short stories
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...
and a poem surrounded by commentary describing how each came to be written. The stories are as follows (original publication in parentheses):
- "The Prime of Life" - poem (F&SFThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
, October 1966) - "Feminine Intuition" (F&SF, October 1969)
- "WaterclapWaterclapWaterclap is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was written at the request of a movie company and was intended to serve as the basis of a film treatment. However, the author disliked the proposed characters and storyline and deliberately set out to write a story that he hoped...
" (GalaxyGalaxy Science FictionGalaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
, May 1970) - "That Thou art Mindful of Him" (F&SF, May 1974)
- "Stranger in ParadiseStranger In Paradise (short story)Stranger in Paradise is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was written in the summer of 1973 for an anthology of original stories edited by Judy-Lynn del Rey, but was rejected by her. It was also rejected by Ben Bova for Analog Science Fiction and Fact before being accepted for If...
" (IfIf (magazine)If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the...
, May–June 1974) - "The Life and Times of MultivacThe Life and Times of MultivacThe Life and Times of Multivac is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the 5 January 1975 issue of The New York Times Magazine, and was reprinted in the collections The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories and The Best of Creative Computing in 1976...
" (New York Times MagazineThe New York Times MagazineThe New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, [Sunday] 5 January 1975) - "The WinnowingThe WinnowingThe Winnowing is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was written at the request of William Levinson, editor of the US publication Physician's World, but when the latter ceased publication, the story was returned to the author, who then sold it to Analog...
" (AnalogAnalog Science Fiction and FactAnalog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
, February 1976) - "The Bicentennial ManThe Bicentennial ManThe Bicentennial Man is a novella in the Robot Series by Isaac Asimov. It was awarded the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for best science fiction novelette of 1976....
" (Judy-Lynn del ReyJudy-Lynn del ReyJudy-Lynn del Rey née Benjamin was a science fiction editor.Born with dwarfism, she was a fan and regular attendee at science fiction conventions and worked her way up the publishing ladder, starting with work at the science fiction magazine Galaxy.Judy-Lynn was friends with Lester del Rey and...
, ed., Stellar Science Fiction #2, February 1976) - "Marching InMarching InMarching In is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was written at the request of the US publication High Fidelity, with the stipulation that it be 2,500 words long, set about twenty-five years in the future and deal with some aspect of sound recording.-Plot summary:In the year...
" (High Fidelity magazine, April 1976) - "Old-fashionedOld-fashioned (short story)Old-fashioned is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was written at the request of Kim Armstrong, editor of Bell Telephone Magazine, with the stipulation that it be 3,000 words and center on a problem in communications. The author claimed that he had thought up a plotline...
" (Bell Telephone Magazine, February 1976) - "The Tercentenary IncidentThe Tercentenary IncidentThe Tercentenary Incident is a science-fiction/mystery short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the August 1976 issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and reprinted in the collections The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories and The Complete Robot .Ellery Queen editor Frederic...
" (Ellery Queen's Mystery MagazineEllery Queen's Mystery MagazineEllery Queen's Mystery Magazine is an American monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction...
, August 1976) - "Birth of a NotionBirth of a Notion (short story)Birth of a Notion is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story was written to celebrate the semicentennial of the magazine Amazing Stories in April 1976...
" (Amazing StoriesAmazing StoriesAmazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
, April 1976)
Two of the stories, "Feminine Intuition" and "The Bicentennial Man", were inspired by Judy-Lynn del Rey
Judy-Lynn del Rey
Judy-Lynn del Rey née Benjamin was a science fiction editor.Born with dwarfism, she was a fan and regular attendee at science fiction conventions and worked her way up the publishing ladder, starting with work at the science fiction magazine Galaxy.Judy-Lynn was friends with Lester del Rey and...
. The latter was expanded into a novel, The Positronic Man
The Positronic Man
The Positronic Man is a novel co-written by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg, based on Asimov's novella The Bicentennial Man....
(with Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:...
), which formed the basis of the 1999 Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
and Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
film Bicentennial Man
Bicentennial Man (film)
Bicentennial Man is a 1999 American drama and science fiction film starring Robin Williams and Sam Neill. Based on the novel The Positronic Man, co-written by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg which is itself based on Asimov's original novella titled The Bicentennial Man, the plot explores issues...
.