The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac Quantum Genius

About this book

Paul Dirac was one of the leading pioneers of the greatest revolution in 20th-century science: quantum mechanics. One of the youngest theoreticians ever to win the Nobel Prize for Physics he was also pathologically reticent strangely literal-minded and legendarily unable to communicate or empathize. Through his greatest period of productivity his postcards home contained only remarks about the weather. Based on a previously undiscovered archive of family papers Graham Farmelo celebrates Diracs massive scientific achievement while drawing a compassionate portrait of his life and work. Farmelo shows a man who while hopelessly socially inept could manage to love and sustain close friendship. The Strangest Man is an extraordinary and moving human story as well as a study of one of the most exciting times in scientific history.