The Strangest Man
Encyclopedia
The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius is a 2009 biography of quantum physicist Paul Dirac
written by British physicist and author, Graham Farmelo, and published by Faber and Faber
. The book won the Biography Award at the 2009 Costa Book Awards
, and the 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology.
, through his years in Cambridge
, Göttingen
and Princeton
up until his death in 1984, and that of his wife 18 years later.
Throughout the book, Dirac's work and his unusual personality is explored, with his reservedness, apparent lack of empathy, and relentless literal-mindedness leading way to several humorous anecdotes. For example, when approached by two graduate students, while on a brief visit to Berkeley
, Dirac sat through a brief presentation about their work on quantum field theory
, bracing themselves for his perceptive comments, there was a long silence, after which Dirac asked them "Where is the post office?" Offering to take him there, the students suggested that he could give them his thoughts on their presentation, to which Dirac replied, "I can't do two things at once."
The book is divided into thirty-one chapters, each beginning with a short epigraph
and covering a set time period, for example, chapter Twenty-one is titled 'January 1936-Summer 1939', and begins with a short quote by Paul Carus
. The final two chapters break from the dating style, in order to discuss 'Dirac's Brain and Persona' and his "Legacy". The book has a comprehensive set of notes, index
, and six pages of black and white photographs.
Bookhugger.co.uk labeled the book as "a moving human story, and a study of one of the most exciting times in scientific history." The magazine placed the book in their 'Best of 2009' list as well.. Playwright Michael Frayn
who wrote the play Copenhagen remarked that "this was the biography Farmelo was born to write".
Paul Dirac
Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, OM, FRS was an English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics...
written by British physicist and author, Graham Farmelo, and published by Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
. The book won the Biography Award at the 2009 Costa Book Awards
2009 Costa Book Awards
The shortlists were announced on 25 November 2009. The winners in each category were announced on4 January 2009 on the Front Row programme.-Children's Book:Winner:*Patrick Ness, The Ask and the AnswerShortlist:*Siobhan Dowd, Solace of the Road...
, and the 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology.
Overview
Farmelo charts Dirac's life from his upbringing in early 20th century BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, through his years in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
and Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
up until his death in 1984, and that of his wife 18 years later.
Throughout the book, Dirac's work and his unusual personality is explored, with his reservedness, apparent lack of empathy, and relentless literal-mindedness leading way to several humorous anecdotes. For example, when approached by two graduate students, while on a brief visit to Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, Dirac sat through a brief presentation about their work on quantum field theory
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
, bracing themselves for his perceptive comments, there was a long silence, after which Dirac asked them "Where is the post office?" Offering to take him there, the students suggested that he could give them his thoughts on their presentation, to which Dirac replied, "I can't do two things at once."
The book is divided into thirty-one chapters, each beginning with a short epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
and covering a set time period, for example, chapter Twenty-one is titled 'January 1936-Summer 1939', and begins with a short quote by Paul Carus
Paul Carus
Paul Carus, Ph.D. was a German-American author, editor, a student of comparative religion, and professor of philosophy.-Life and education:...
. The final two chapters break from the dating style, in order to discuss 'Dirac's Brain and Persona' and his "Legacy". The book has a comprehensive set of notes, index
Index (publishing)
An index is a list of words or phrases and associated pointers to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document...
, and six pages of black and white photographs.
Reviews
Online literary magazineLiterary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
Bookhugger.co.uk labeled the book as "a moving human story, and a study of one of the most exciting times in scientific history." The magazine placed the book in their 'Best of 2009' list as well.. Playwright Michael Frayn
Michael Frayn
Michael J. Frayn is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce Noises Off and the dramas Copenhagen and Democracy...
who wrote the play Copenhagen remarked that "this was the biography Farmelo was born to write".
See also
- American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer