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Diary Illuminates Einstein's Last Years

Posted by Hemos on from the never-has-the-topic-icon-been-more-fitting dept.

b00le writes "Several sources carry versions of this story about the diary of Johanna Fantova who shared much of the last years of Einstein's life (and cut his hair) and witnessed his kindness and poltical activisim. The diary does not seem to have been translated from the German yet, but the site has extracts. According to this, Fantova tried to publish the diaries herself and of course failed to find an agent."

2 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. is this real? by BobTheLawyer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    perhaps I'm being over-cynical, but I can't help wondering if this is a hoax.

    Einstein calling Heisenberg "a big Nazi" is surely too funny to be true. The mistake mentioned in the article (reporting Einstein phoning his sister several years after she was dead) doesn't sound like the sort of mistake a real diarist would ever make.

    thoughts, anyone?

    1. Re:is this real? by BuddieFox · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Einstein calling Heisenberg "a big Nazi" is surely too funny to be true.
      Why would it not be true? Werner Heisenberg did a lot of nuclear research in germany during the second world war, research that was meant to lead to a german atom bomb.
      I dont think just because Einsteing was Einstein everything he said every day had to sound poetic and/or thouroughly thought thru, maybe he just spoke his mind occasionally? :)