This is only related in a sideways manner, but: the story of any small slice of humanity is the story of humanity, just boiled down and distilled. So:
In 2020, we had a lot of conversations about harassment at SF/F conventions, and Isaac Asimov came up several times.
the Epstein files are really devastating because they remind me of how many girls and women miss out on professional opportunities, mentorship and careers because of how many powerful, rich and influential men only view girls and women — and interactions with them — through the lens of sex
Feb 5, 2026 20:58Isaac Asimov was a founder of modern science fiction. His work and ideas inform almost everything.
He was also a serial sexual harasser, something confirmed by multiple first-person accountings from members of East Coast fandom.
I am getting a lot og cognitive dissonance, since i got lot of information about the importance of being a feminist from his essays, as a little kid. Sad, but we have to face reality.
The Sensuous Dirty Old Man
Book by Isaac Asimov, Dr. "A"
Asimov is the one that hits the hardest for me personally. His writing was a big part of my early genre reading. His autobiographies make it sound so cute and inoffensive when he talks about his behavior. I've had to just live with the fact that this was not ok and caused real harm to people.
