4 days ago
Private conversations with Albert Einstein published as book
Records from Albert Einstein's final years are being published as a book around 20 years after their discovery, as transcripts of telephone conversations the physicist had between 1953 and 1955, publisher Heyne Verlag announced on Monday.
The records by Johanna Fantova, considered to be Einstein's last close female friend, describe events from the last year and a half before the scientist's death at the age of 76.
Einstein (1879-1955), who fled Nazi Germany for the United States in 1933, reportedly shared his daily experiences in US exile with Fantova over the phone. Fantova, who first met Einstein in Germany but also moved to the US, transcribed his statements with his consent, the publisher said.
The 62-page typescript in German was discovered by chance in 2004 at the Firestone Library of Princeton University, where Fantova once worked as a curator. The materials lay unprocessed in the archive for a long time.
The diary entries are now set to be published for the first time in an annotated edition with additional findings on September 24. The title of the book by Peter von Becker is: "I am a Magnet for All the Maniacs. The Einstein Transcripts – His Life, His Last Love, His Legacy."
In the diary, Einstein - who revolutionized physics with his Theory of Relativity - shares his thoughts on politics, science, everyday life and love.
For instance, he criticized the arms race of the superpowers and the rearmament of Germany, and commented on the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, according to the publisher.
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