Isaac Asimov-Russian Writer?

[westvirginiarebel]

Asimov was born in the Soviet Union but his family quickly moved to the U.S. WI they hadn't-how does Asimov, with his intellect, fare in Soviet science fiction, which began to come into its own after Stalin?

[eDGT]

I meant to reply to this ages ago, but it was on my phone and I forgot...

Okay so let's think. Assuming Asimov or his family are not purged during the Stalinist years I think we're going to see some interesting changes to Soviet sci-fi. The dream will be a fully computerised and automated utopia where every man is lord over his mechanical servants, which to be honest seems to be the only way Communism could be properly implemented. However to achieve that he has to survive first.

His family were Jewish, so that's a pretty rough start. His full name in Russian looks like it would Isaak Judahevich Ozimov. And apparently his family were millers from Smolensk, also not a good start. Fortunately though the family were not Orthodox Jews, so that may help them out a bit if they're willing to keep their faith very down low. Now let's assume that the Asimov family stay low out of the radar of the Cheka, they work hard and wear the trappings of Soviet Socialism. Young Isaac was exceptionally bright, which is something which will likely catch the eyes of school administrators. I've no idea if the early Soviet Union had some sort of scholarship programme but if they did I could easily see him being put into one, possibly something intellectual with the aim to turn him into something useful like an engineer.

The comics of his early childhood are going to be replaced with Soviet literature, statistics, and hopefully mechanical blueprints and diagrams. With any luck these will spark his imagination and turn him towards writing, which will hopefully be Socialist enough that should any Stalinist era bureaucrats read any of it they'll dismiss it as willful fantasy but still within the party line.

Next is the Second World War. He would have been 21 at it's outbreak, so well within the age of the draft. Unless Asimov was declared essential to the war effort the he would most definitely have seen combat. Obviously we want him to live, so let's assume he does. His intelligence would allow him to rise high within the military bureaucracy as a clerk or assistant to an officer, he would be wasted as a frontline grunt. Hopefully his orthodoxy will also keep him safe from anyone who sees him as a potential threat. Really though we want him to be an engineer in order to keep his mind more technical and less political.

I'm finding it pretty difficult to get any information on Soviet computing, mainly because prior to 1950 it was considered a bourgeoisie science. Obviously it would help a lot if this could be reversed, but I don't really see how the POD can save it. If the young Asimov were to for some reason try to defend computing then he'd likely be disciplined for his lack of orthodoxy.

So by the death of Stalin, Asimov/Ozimov is a young engineer in the Soviet Union with some ties to the military thanks to his work on projects during the war. He is a budding mind in the development of early "cybernetics" and writes curious tales based loosely on his research, and the far future of the Soviet system. He has some criticism from the party hierarchy for what looks like his own distaste for the Soviet Unions anti-intellectual stances, and some would like to see the fellow purged before he becomes a threat.

Along comes old Nikita Khrushchev. The man is as orthodox a Socialist as one can hope to be, but he knows how flawed the years of Stalin have been and he wants to change that. A young man within the administration is known for his ideas on the future of machinery, computing, and how it will change the world. Such a fellow would be an ideal addition to any new government, not least because this Asimov not only has the ideas but the technical knowledge to back him up. Not only this but the Cold War has taken off in full and American industry is swiftly outpacing any Russian efforts.

I see a Russian Asimov as less of a writer and more of a kick in the ass for Soviet science, that is if his ideas work. Fledgling automation for Soviet industry, as well as new ideas to be used within the Space Race, hell his influence may even be a boon for the artistic world if he can encourage more lenient censorship. A Russian Asimov is going to drastically change the nature of the Cold World and the world.

[bytor]

Why wouldn't Isaak Osimov get a Ph.D. in biochemistry like his OTL counterpart?

[eDGT]

Feb 18, 2016 1:39:50 GMT bytor said:

Why wouldn't Isaak Osimov get a Ph.D. in biochemistry like his OTL counterpart?

I was thinking about that, my logic is that with the Soviet Education system and the way the work force operated he wouldn't be able to do a lot of robotic stuff if he's a bio-chemist, his superiors would see it as a massive waste of time.  Now if he did then his sci-fi stuff would be very different, but I thought it best to stick with what we know.

Also an engineer is a much more practical job, and the education could help make up for the lack of American pulp comics he had as a boy.

[crustyoldssg]

would he have instead ended up in the gulag?