Gösta Mittag-Leffler: A Man of Conviction - Hardcover

Stubhaug, Arild

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 364211671X ISBN 13: 9783642116711

Publisher: Springer, 2010

Synopsis

Gösta Mittag-Leffler (1846–1927) played a significant role as both a scientist and entrepreneur. Regarded as the father of Swedish mathematics, his influence extended far beyond his chosen field because of his extensive network of international contacts in science, business, and the arts. He was instrumental in seeing to it that Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize twice. One of Mittag-Leffler’s major accomplishments was the founding of the journal Acta Mathematica , published by Institut Mittag-Leffler and Sweden’s Royal Academy of Sciences. Arild Stubhaug’s research for this monumental biography relied on a wealth of primary and secondary resources, including more than 30000 letters that are part of the Mittag-Leffler archives. Written in a lucid and compelling manner, the biography contains many hitherto unknown facts about Mittag-Leffler’s personal life and professional endeavors. It will be of great interest to both mathematicians and general readers interested in science and culture.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Gösta Mittag-Leffler (1846–1927) played a significant role on the world stage as both a scientist and entrepreneur. Regarded as the father of Swedish mathematics, his influence extended far beyond his chosen field because of his extensive network of international contacts in science, business, and the arts. His social and professional circles included such luminaries as Selma Lagerlöf, Albert Einstein, Sonya Kovalevsky, Alfred Nobel, Karl Weierstrass, Henri Poincaré, and Marie Curie. (He was instrumental in seeing to it that the latter was awarded the Nobel Prize, not once but twice.) One of Mittag-Leffler’s major accomplishments was the founding of the journal Acta Mathematica in 1882. Today the journal is still published by Institut Mittag-Leffler and Sweden’s Royal Academy of Sciences, and it continues to be one of the most prestigious journals in mathematics. Arild Stubhaug’s research for this monumental biography of the Swedish mathematician relied on a wealth of primary and secondary resources, including more than 30000 letters that are part of the Mittag-Leffler archives. Written in a lucid and compelling manner, the biography contains many hitherto unknown facts about Mittag-Leffler’s personal life and professional endeavors. It will be of great interest to both mathematicians and general readers interested in science and culture.

About the Author

Arild Stubhaug is an acclaimed poet and biographer. Born in 1948 in Naustdal, Norway, he holds university degrees in mathematics, literature, and the history of religion. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Oslo. He made his literary debut in 1970 with a poetry book, and he has since published numerous collections of poetry and other important literary works. His biography Niels Henrik Abel and His Times: Called Too Soon from Flames Afar (published in English by Springer-Verlag, 2000) won the prestigious Brage Prize in Norway in 1996. This was followed by two other major works: The Mathematician Sophus Lie: It Was the Audacity of My Thinking (also published in English by Springer-Verlag, 2002), and a biography of the Norwegian writer Conrad Nicolai Schwach.

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 364211671X
• ISBN 13: 9783642116711
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 743