Strange Playfellow, by Isaac Asimov

About this episode

This episode discusses Isaac Asimov's first robot story, 'Strange Playfellow', and its significance in science fiction.

Robbie was only a machine, but he was Gloria’s best friend, and she wanted him back. "Strange Playfellow" appeared in the September 1940 issue of "Super Science Stories" on pages 67 to 77. "Strange Playfellow" was Asimov's first robot story, written on June 10, 1939, and initially titled "Strange Playfellow" by editor Frederik Pohl. The story was later reprinted under Asimov's preferred title, "Robbie", in collections such as "I, Robot" (1950), "The Complete Robot" (1982), and "Robot Visions" (1990). The story also features early elements of Asimov’s later Robot series, including the Three Laws of Robotics. In 2016, the story, titled as "Robbie", won the retrospective 1941 Hugo Award for Best Short Story, in recognition of its significance in science fiction. ----- Isaac Asimov (c. January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke. A prolific writer, he wrote or edited more than 500 books. He also wrote an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. Best known for his hard science…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Lawley-Jones

Topics covered

• science fiction
• robots
• literature
• Hugo Award
• Asimov's works

Keywords

• Isaac Asimov
• Strange Playfellow
• Robbie
• robots
• Hugo Award

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Super Science Stories

Books & works: Strange Playfellow, Robbie

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