Isaac Asimov

In the seventies Asimov was the writer that all Spanish publishers wanted to publish, or so it seemed. Bruguera, Plaza & Janes, Random House, Vertex, Edhasa ... Bruguera was the one who took the cat to water, at least in regard to his work of science fiction, closely followed surely by NATO, not took to specialize in their popular books.

Thus, during that decade, Asimov was an author who seemed to be everywhere in Spanish libraries. And in the eighties, this trend does not seem to decrease. It was the science fiction writer who published that publishers do not even have the slightest interest in science fiction publishing. And it was the science fiction writer known even by readers who did not have the slightest interest in reading science fiction.

For over twenty years in Spain Asimov was synonymous with science fiction. Genre fans certainly saw him otherwise (although I think a little, how many were started in science fiction by Asimov's work in the sixties, seventies and much of the eighties?), But in the wide world that lies beyond fandom, things were otherwise. If a layman in case you said science fiction, had a good chance that their reaction was "Isaac Asimov" or, if I was a little more to the parrot, "Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.

Time passed and soon the situation turn around. Reversal that began in the mid-eighties and that helped, no doubt, questionable quality and little to Asimov's novels published from those years.

And, as the Spanish tend to be creatures of extremes, Asimov soon go from being the author of science fiction, the man whose very presence defined the genre, a literary void whose importance for the development of CF had been all but irrelevant. And this was not enough. No it was not enough, there was also that hate him, as if we had done personally.

Because the arguments that were used to revile Asimov ranging from the purely literary (which would make sense, no doubt) to directly pilgrim. Refute its importance as an author focusing on their weaknesses as a writer was a defensible position and arguments, but deny the bread and salt with the argument that his "public prominence, to call it somehow had darkened the authors really relevant was so stupid and pointless. As if Asimov was responsible for the publishers (and we also assume that readers, because I can not believe an employer to pull twenty years selling a product that the public not to buy) publish it again and again, or their popularity more Beyond gender was the product of a conspiracy on your part to any others.

If the editors considered a safe bet to Asimov and preferred to publish it to him rather than try his luck with other authors ... Asimov's fault was it? Need I really ask that question?

I confess that right now I'm not sure what Asimov status among fans of the genre. If we have a totally irrational behavior to have reached its rightful place: a figure of undeniable historical value for understanding the evolution of science fiction and a competent writer with an interesting work and a remarkable achievement. Neither giant worship or some other invalid wanted to see anyway.

Although I suspect that we are not totally irrational behavior and that the Spanish fans continue to oscillate between these two foci, adoration and contempt.

Fan, finally, after all, comes from fanatic, do not forget. In fact, for many years there has been a few people with some intellectual standing in the little world of fans, who have insisted that we should forget.

As ever insisted, however, was evident in the fact that so many fans among the largest sector of geek science fiction fans, as in most gafapasta. But that is another story, I fear, and I'm not even sure it is told in another time.

EDIT: My memory is playing tricks. Tyrann was not the title of The Stars, Like Dust in any of its editions in Castilian. It was like Horace L. Gold decided holder where the serialized in Galaxy magazine. I corrected this detail in the article body (though leaving branded the original text, that of fidelity) and take this note to explain why editing.

The work of Asimov's science fiction has long been published in our country, certainly since the late fifties of last century. Throughout this period has passed, of course, for a number of different publishers.

The consequence is that the titles of their books (and also of their stories) have varied over time and sometimes it's easier to arm trouble and not be clear if this novel had appeared as "X" is actually "Y" or is it something entirely different.

One of the most iconic novels of Asimov's The Caves of Steel. The first issue that I know of in Castilian was translated under the title of The Caves of Steel. It's a Mexican edition (publisher Tlacoquemecatl) and fairly close in time to the original publication in English, specifically 1955.

In Spain appear first editions Vertex hand, with "glorious" translation of F. Sesena, the same as Marvel comics translated by the same publisher and head of the most colorful battle oath of Captain America: the "ham and a frilly!" That launched him to a supervillain's face when he asked her to surrender.

Troglodytes be entitled tomorrow and I remember when it fell into my hands (have been about ten years) expected a miraculous adventure full of cavemen armed with clubs and stones to fight fiercely among ruined cities in the remote future. What I found, of course, had nothing to do.

Martínez Roca reeditaría in the eighties as Caves of Steel, regaining the title of the Mexican edition, and it would Bibliópolis with his own edition, thus becoming almost "official" translation of the original title.

The only issue that tried to keep something about the English title was made by the Readers' Circle: the novel appeared as The Caves of Steel, but the title and in brackets could read The caves of steel.

A Guijaradó in the sky could be read in Castilian for the first time against the Galaxy Earth. What, again, promised a fast-paced history of warfare that appear anywhere within the covers. The following editions in Castilian, however (Martínez Roca, Bibliópolis readership) have respected the original title.

The Stars, Like Dust has also appeared under several titles. From the star in the sand to powder Martínez Roca Bibliópolis stars. And I could swear (but I speak from hearsay and can not sure) that there was a Castilian edition under the title of Tyrann blunt.

And while we're talking science fiction, I can not resist commenting Murder in the Convention. The original title of this novel is Murder at the ABA, where the ABA is an association of American booksellers. When Asimov, who appears as a character in his novel, ask him what is he doing, he responds that its editors was sent to write a novel that he has only been given the title: Murder at the ABA. Why would the translator to translate the title of the novel and tell him that his publishers Asimov had been sent to write a novel called Murder in the Convention? No, far better to let the English title and, in a footnote on page, explain that this is the novel that the reader is reading.

There are many ways to load a joke, but it borders on the sublime, no doubt.