There Is Life After the Nobel Prize

by Eric R. Kandel Narrated by Paul Heitsch

Overview

One day in 1996, the neuroscientist Eric R. Kandel took a call from his program officer at the National Institute of Mental Health, who informed him that he had been awarded a key grant. Also, the officer said, he and his colleagues thought Kandel would win the Nobel Prize. "I hope not soon," Kandel's wife, Denise, said when she heard this. Sociologists had found that Nobel Prize winners often did not contribute much more to science, she explained.



In this book, Kandel recounts his remarkable career since receiving the Nobel in 2000-or his experience of proving to his wife that he was not yet "completely dead intellectually." Kandel relates how the Nobel Prize gave him the opportunity to reach a far larger audience, which in turn allowed him to discover and pursue new directions. He describes his efforts to promote public understanding of science and to put brain science and art into conversation with each other. Kandel also discusses his return to Austria, which he had fled as a child, and observes Austria's coming to terms with the Nazi period. Showcasing Kandel's accomplishments, erudition, and wit, There Is Life After the Nobel Prize is a candid account of the working life of an acclaimed scientist.

Editorial Reviews

Joseph E. LeDoux

Eric Kandel is a scientific giant. As in his other wonderful books, he has a fascinating tale to tell in this one, and does it well. A great story to read.

Austrian Press Agency

The 'great joy' that [he derives from] explaining science to the public can also be felt in Kandel's new book.

Nature

Has Eric Kandel rested on his laurels? No. [This book] adds to Kandel’s respected literary oeuvre, which ranges from neuroscience textbooks to highly original popular science.

Larry W. Swanson

This is an inspiring and unique story of creativity, perseverance, and humanity from the most influential neuroscientist of his generation.

Nonstop Reader

Accessible and interesting. . . . [Kandel has] a truly gifted mind with a facility for teaching, and a willingness to do so. Four stars.

Margaret S. Livingstone

Of course Eric Kandel didn’t stop doing experiments on learning and memory after he got a Nobel Prize; he would have had to become an entirely different person. But what did change, fortunately for the reader, is that he acquired the skill and confidence to convey deep scientific insights about the brain as they relate to a variety of subjects, such as abstract expressionist art, gender dysphoria, poverty, and morality.

Howard Gardner

In this slim but wide-ranging book, Eric R. Kandel—an escapee from Nazi Austria and a student of history and literature in college—reflects thoughtfully on his recent research as a benchtop neuroscientist, his experiences as a public communicator about brain and cognitive science, and his keen exploration of the arts.

V. S. Ramachandran

This is an amazing book that gives us a peek inside the mind of one of the giants of contemporary neuroscience. While most of us struggle to succeed in a single discipline, Eric R. Kandel has excelled in three: first his discovery of the neural basis of memory—a discovery comparable to DNA; second, as an art historian successfully bridging art and neuroscience; and now, a parallel career, as a science writer of almost unparalleled excellence.

Nature Lib

Has Eric Kandel rested on his laurels? No. [This book] adds to Kandel’s respected literary oeuvre, which ranges from neuroscience textbooks to highly original popular science.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178537244
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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