Albert Einstein is one of my favorite characters in history. I fell in love with his work while a graduate student in Princeton. His ethos still pervades the town. Of course, he upended Newtonian physics with his theory of relativity. He also contributed notably to other subfields of physics. As a Jew, he stood as a counterpoint to Nazi Germany’s false contention that as non-Aryans, Jews have not contributed to modern civilization after the Bible.
The historical record already captures Einstein’s contributions to physics well through his many papers and lectures. Less recorded are details of Einstein’s unique personality. German professor William Hermanns, also exiled from Nazi Germany to America, had four lengthy conversations with Einstein throughout the course of their lives. This German professor became a philosophical disciple of Einstein. Their first conversation occurred in Germany while the other three happened in Princeton. Hermanns took good notes and paraphrased the conversations in this book. While still imperfect, they stand as the best lengthy records of Einstein’s political and theistic views. Many groups of differing persuasions have attempted to claim the popular Einstein as their own, but this book remains the most intimate, definitive portrait of the great physicist.
Einstein’s historical impact includes being a political and religious force even though he never personally aspired to these roles. Hermanns, a poet, certainly appropriates Einstein in his paraphrase to speak more eloquently than he actually did in English. In this book, Einstein’s voice veers towards the mystical more strongly than it does in any leading biography. Still, it’s the closest we have to a longer record of a conversation with him, and for that reason, Einstein’s admirers, myself included, should read this to understand the man.
This edition of the book has clearly been scanned and has occasional typographic and grammatical errors. I wish an editor could clean it up. These conversations deserve to be preserved in libraries so that future biographers can understand this great man. He remains an enigmatic feature among civilization’s great thinkers, along with Isaac Newton, St. Francis of Assisi, and religious leaders. Thus, understanding the man, albeit through an imperfect lens, will benefit any reader. Because Hermanns is not a scientist, this book offers a portrait, highly accessible to the general public. Written by a poet, its voice is more mystical than other records, but its intimate content exposes Einstein’s inner life for us to know the man.
Einstein and the Poet: In Search of the Cosmic Man
By William Hermanns
Copyright (c) 1983, 2013
Branden Books
ISBN13 9780828318730
Page Count: 178
Genre: Philosophy, Science
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