▁the ▁story ▁after ▁seven ▁years ▁as ▁a ▁professor ▁at ▁the ▁Boston ▁University ▁School ▁of ▁Medicine . ▁He ▁said ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 3 ▁that ▁he ▁tried ▁to ▁not ▁let ▁his ▁personal ▁life ▁appear ▁in ▁fiction ▁but ▁" The ▁Dead ▁Past " ▁was ▁an ▁exception , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁scientific - res earch ▁setting ▁and ▁the ▁protagon ist ' s ▁interest ▁in ▁Car th age . ▁ ▁In ▁his ▁aut obi ography ▁In ▁Memory ▁Yet ▁Green , ▁As im ov ▁writes , ▁" The ▁story , ▁one ▁of ▁my ▁favor ites , ▁is ▁most ▁memor able ▁to ▁me ▁for ▁what ▁I ▁put ▁in ▁it ▁accident ally . ▁What ▁I ▁was ▁planning ▁was ▁a ▁story ▁that ▁invert ed ▁the ▁usual ▁assumption ▁that ▁government ▁planning ▁is ▁ty ran n ical ▁and ▁that ▁freedom ▁of ▁scientific ▁inqu iry ▁is ▁good . ▁In ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁the ▁story , ▁however , ▁I ▁threw ▁in , ▁almost ▁at ▁random , ▁a ▁reference ▁to ▁Car th age ▁that ▁somehow ▁took ▁on ▁a ▁life ▁of ▁its ▁own ▁and ▁quite ▁unexpected ly ▁introduced ▁a ▁sub plot ▁that ▁provided ▁the ▁whole ▁course ▁of ▁the ▁story ▁with ▁excellent ▁motiv ation . ▁Any ▁critic ▁reading ▁the ▁story ▁is ▁bound ▁to ▁conclude ▁I ▁planned ▁that ▁sub plot ▁from ▁the ▁beginning , ▁though ▁I ▁swe ar ▁I ▁didn ' t ." ▁ ▁Although ▁the ▁story ▁is ▁set ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 2 1 st ▁century , ▁As im ov ▁did ▁not ▁anticip ate ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁trans ist ors ; ▁the ▁chron os cope ▁apparently ▁uses