A Mathematician Grappling with His Century [Paperback]

Laurent Schwartz (Author), S. Schneps (Translator)

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Product Details

Paperback: 490 pages
Publisher: Birkh�user Basel; 1 edition (Mar 23 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3764360526
ISBN-13: 978-3764360528
Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16.5 x 2.5 cm
Shipping Weight: 953 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,343,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"Laurent Schwartz is a strategist of ideas, within mathematics and without. He is a great communicator who has drawn huge audiences and conveyed to them the fragrance of research, or the joy of teaching, or the value of freedom. His is a mind whose company is never dull. He belongs to the great libertarian tradition of France. And his book has the very French characteristic of giving serious consideration to the life of the intellect. No man’s life can be encompassed in one telling, yet the spirit of the man and his times are well caught in his autobiography." —Notices of the AMS (on the French edition) "The chapters of Laurent Schwartz's autobiography are . . . filled with rich descriptions of events and the 'players.' His development as a mathematician and active member of the international mathematical community was a fascinating journey, aptly conveyed with a writing style that really gives the reader the feel of a fellow traveler." —MAA Online (on the English edition)

Product Description

Laurent Schwartz is one of the most remarkable intellects of the 20th century. His discovery of distributions, one of the most beautiful theories in mathematics, earned him a 1950 Fields Medal. Beyond this formidable achievement, his love for science and for teaching led him to think deeply and lecture broadly to the general public on the significance of science and mathematics to the well-being of the world. At the same time, his commitment to the social good, even at the expense of his beloved research, proved a moral compass throughout his life. The fight for human rights and his major role in the battle against the wars in Algeria and Vietnam were typical of matters close to his heart. The story of his life in the context of his century provides for future generations an inspiring testimonial from an extraordinary mathematician and thinker. Laurent Schwartz is a strategist of ideas, within mathematics and without. He is a great communicator who has drawn huge audiences and conveyed to them the fragrance of research, or the joy of teaching, or the value of freedom. His is a mind whose company is never dull. He belongs to the great libertarian tradition of France. And his book has the very French characteristic of giving serious consideration to the life of the intellect. No man's life can be encompassed in one telling, yet the spirit of the man and his times are well caught in his autobiography. (K. Chandrasekharan, Notices of the AMS)

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First Sentence
My mother always wanted a country house. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Grappling is the word, Oct 29 2000

By "jbeuh" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: A Mathematician Grappling With His Century (Hardcover)

This book is as fascinating to anyone interested in mathematics as any other mathematician's biography, with the extra asset of his life being deeply imbedded in 20th century history. While it gives a most interesting account of the French and international mathematical world during the second half of the century (especially on Bourbaki and, of course, on the distributions), it also tales the story of a "committed" (formerly trotskist) intellectual who valued his struggle for decolonization as high as his mathematical work.

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