Little-Known Einstein – The Real Person Behind the Icon

Author: Dennis Brian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: We are all familiar with the kindly, slightly eccentric face of Einstein, his angelic smile, and his halo of silver hair. Yet, behind this well-known image lies what kind of person? Is he, as some have depicted him, a cold, woman-hating, self-centered narcissist? Did he, as one biographer has asserted, once unknowingly plagiarize the research of others—including his wife? Did he, as some have repeatedly claimed, suffer from dyslexia, lack mathematical ability, and be a fraud who only had a superficial understanding of physics? Was he the mad scientist that J. Edgar Hoover spent over twenty years trying to find? In this book, biographer Dennis Brian, based on extensive first-hand materials, peels away the layers of mysteries, rumors, and lies that have shrouded the scientist, painting a vivid, flesh-and-blood Einstein for us. The reader sees a profound and complex individual, a generous and deeply empathetic person, one who left a lasting impression on everyone who met him—an ordinary man behind the icon. "Einstein was a scientist who distrusted myths, yet he himself was portrayed as a mythical figure—a god who grasped the universe. Dennis Brian has lifted the veil of mystery surrounding Einstein, revealing the true face of genius. If Einstein were alive, he would surely approve of Brian's efforts. A real, complex Einstein with profound thoughts and feelings about God, politics, and life is far more interesting and moving than the idolized image." —Alan Schoenitz "Dennis Brian's convincing portrayal makes us even more amazed by Einstein's great achievements." —The Washington Post "The research in this book is thorough and detailed, with an objective and unpretentious writing style. As a work documenting both Einstein's career and personal life, it stands as a model of biography." —The Observer (UK) "This is a creative and deeply moving biography of the great man I had the honor of knowing and admiring. It contains much fascinating material about Einstein himself, and I read it cover to cover." —George "Unlike the recent flood of revisionist biographies, Brian's ambitious work is based on thorough and rigorous research—a refreshing change. He does not tell a fictional myth but skillfully portrays a real person." —Library Journal This book, based on extensive first-hand materials, peels away the layers of mysteries, rumors, and lies that have shrouded the scientist, painting a vivid, flesh-and-blood Einstein for us.