Hi All,
another Downer who also likes Asimov!
A few thoughts occurred to me;
Do the two great writers perhaps represent their respective countries in that Tolkien favours the idyllic countryside of the past while Asimov writes of the energetic city of the future?
Their differences in 'publishing policy' seem quite extreme! Asimov was a notoriously prolific writer and frequently refers in the forwards of his short stories of his satisfaction in publishing in one of the 50s Sci-Fi magazines, and may even be viewed as regarding publications as victories regardless of the quality of the tale (I believe that much of Asimov is excellent, especially the Caves of Steel, but some earlier stories have a clunky, unpolished feel about them). On the contrary, Tolkien has tormented us latter day fans by continually re-working and altering his stories, never finishing the Silmarillion etc, which meant that his published Middle Earth works were masterpieces, but few and far between.
I wonder if some of this may be due to their different academic backgrounds, English, where books are revered (or used to be!), versus Biochemistry, where you have to publish as many scientific papers as possible. Indeed Asimov sent up the whole scientific paper concept in 'The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline', which will amuse anyone who has the misfortune to consult primary scientific literature on a regular basis,
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Rumil of Coedhirion
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