The Soul of Genius: Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and the Meeting That Changed the Course of Science

by Jeffrey Orens Narrated by Grover Gardner

Overview

A prismatic look at the meeting of Marie Curie and Albert Einstein and the impact these two pillars of science had on the world of physics, which was in turmoil.

In 1911, some of the greatest minds in science convened at the First Solvay Conference in Physics, a meeting like no other. Almost half of the attendees had won or would go on to win the Nobel Prize. Over the course of those few days, these minds began to realize that classical physics was about to give way to quantum theory, a seismic shift in our history and how we understand not just our world, but the universe.

At the center of this meeting were Marie Curie and a young Albert Einstein. In the years preceding, Curie had faced the death of her husband and soul mate, Pierre. She was on the cusp of being awarded her second Nobel Prize, but scandal erupted all around her when the French press revealed that she was having an affair with a fellow scientist, Paul Langevin.

The subject of vicious misogynist and xenophobic attacks in the French press, Curie found herself in a storm that threatened her scientific legacy.

Albert Einstein proved a supporter in her travails. They had an instant connection at Solvay. He was young and already showing flourishes of his enormous genius. Curie had been responsible for one of the greatest discoveries in modern science-radioactivity-but still faced resistance and scorn. Einstein recognized this grave injustice, and their mutual admiration and respect, borne out of this, their first meeting, would go on to serve them in their paths forward to making history.

Curie and Einstein come alive as the complex people they were in the pages of The Soul of Genius. Utilizing never before seen correspondence and notes, Jeffrey Orens reveals the human side of these brilliant scientists, one who pushed boundaries and demanded equality in a man's world, no matter the cost, and the other, who was destined to become synonymous with genius.

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile

In a voice of gentle gravitas, narrator Grover Gardner clearly conveys the complexities of the sciences in this dual biography. Orens's audiobook recounts the stories of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, towering figures in scientific history. Einstein emerged from humble beginnings while working at a patent office; Curie's accomplishments in the field of radioactive elements were significant despite the deeply rooted patriarchy preventing women from advancing in the sciences. Their respective paths to prominence eventually crossed at the first Solvay conference for science and biology, culminating in their friendship of "radiology and relativity." Listeners unfamiliar with the intricacies of the photoelectric effect or radiology need not hesitate; Gardner's natural confidence keeps the proceedings clear and accessible. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176377415
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	07/06/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos