Goesta Mittag-Leffler (1846-1927) played a significant role as both a scientist and entrepreneur. Regarded as the father of Swedish mathematics, his influence extended far beyond his chosen field because of his extensive network of international contacts in science, business, and the arts. He was instrumental in seeing to it that Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize twice. One of Mittag-Leffler's major accomplishments was the founding of the journal Acta Mathematica , published by Institut Mittag-Leffler and Sweden's Royal Academy of Sciences. Arild Stubhaug's research for this monumental biography relied on a wealth of primary and secondary resources, including more than 30000 letters that are part of the Mittag-Leffler archives. Written in a lucid and compelling manner, the biography contains many hitherto unknown facts about Mittag-Leffler's personal life and professional endeavors. It will be of great interest to both mathematicians and general readers interested in science and culture.

About the Author
Arild Stubhaug is an acclaimed poet and biographer. Born in 1948 in Naustdal, Norway, he holds university degrees in mathematics, literature, and the history of religion. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Oslo. He made his literary debut in 1970 with a poetry book, and he has since published numerous collections of poetry and other important literary works. His biography Niels Henrik Abel and His Times: Called Too Soon from Flames Afar (published in English by Springer-Verlag, 2000) won the prestigious Brage Prize in Norway in 1996. This was followed by two other major works: The Mathematician Sophus Lie: It Was the Audacity of My Thinking (also published in English by Springer-Verlag, 2002), and a biography of the Norwegian writer Conrad Nicolai Schwach.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"This book is a biography about a mathematician; the focus is on the man and his life ... . Mittag-Leffler's life is covered in at times minute detail. ... it is an important biography of a man that played a significant role in the development of the modern mathematical community." (Charles Ashbacher, The Mathematical Association of America, January, 2011)

"This is the English translation of a thorough biography of the Swedish mathematician Goesta Mittag-Leffler first published in Swedish in 2007. ... The book was years in the writing and is exhaustively researched ... . this book is richly informative ... . It is handsomely printed, well illustrated, and generally well translated." (Jeremy Gray, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2011 k)

"There are many photographs in Stubhaug's book, in some of which Mittag-Leffler bears a striking resemblance to Mark Twain. ... The translation from Norwegian is mostly very smooth ... . As a biography of a complex, controversial, highly gifted man who interacted with many of the great figures of his time, this is ... a very good read." (Peter Giblin, The Mathematical Gazette, Vol. 96 (536), July, 2012)

Book Information
ISBN 9783662501764
Author Arild Stubhaug
Format Paperback
Page Count 733
Imprint Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
Publisher Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG