{"product_id":"mathematician-with-the-soul-of-a-poet-poems-and-plays-of-sofia-kovalevskaya-hardcover","title":"Mathematician with the Soul of a Poet: Poems and Plays of Sofia Kovalevskaya - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSofia Kovalevskaya\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eSandra DeLozier Coleman\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1868, a young Russian woman asked an emerging scientist, who supported the goal of expanding educational opportunities for women, to marry any one of the three women in his office for the sole purpose of helping them obtain passports. With his help, they planned to travel to where they could write or pursue higher education. The marriage was to be in name only, so it did not matter which of them he chose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe chose eighteen-year-old Sofia Korvin-Krukovskaya, whose dream was to earn a PhD in mathematics so that the doors to higher education might be opened to all women. She set this lofty goal for herself at a time when women were not allowed to travel without the permission of a father or husband - at a time when women were not allowed to set foot inside university classrooms.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Berlin, Sofia Kovalevskaya studied at the home of Karl Weierstrass, who became a dear friend and life-long mentor. After four years of hard work and intensive study, she produced three notable papers and was awarded the coveted PhD. In one of the letters Weierstrass wrote to her during their 23 years of correspondence, he told her that to be a great mathematician one must have the soul of a poet. The label \u003cem\u003emathematician with the soul of a poet\u003c\/em\u003e has since become attached to Sofia Kovalevskaya.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the many mathematical honors for which she is known, Kovalevskaya won praise for her collected writings. The extensive collection includes, most notably, memoirs of her childhood, a novella, nine poems and two plays.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSandra DeLozier Coleman, a math professor, artist and poet, was very much interested in looking for any connection between Weierstrass's statement and the poems written by Kovalevskaya. She began her translations of the poems before software tools commonly used today had been developed. At the time, she knew no Russian - not even the sounds or order of the letters in the Russian alphabet - but she was determined to learn as much as she needed to know to be able to translate the poems and plays.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMathematician with the Soul of a Poet \u003c\/em\u003ebegins with a chapter of engaging stories about Sandra DeLozier Coleman's early efforts to translate the poems. Readers will enjoy a collection of tales of her search for friends who spoke Russian, her travels to many countries where Kovalevskaya lived or visited, and the high and low points of participating in a Russian math conference dedicated to Kovalevskaya.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter returning from Russia, the translation adventure continued. Two decades passed as the translations of the plays, \u003cem\u003eHow It Was and How It Might Have Been\u003c\/em\u003e, developed. \u003cem\u003eMathematician with the Soul of a Poet \u003c\/em\u003eplaces the poems and plays in biographical context. Life events may explain Kovalevskaya's urgent desire to complete the plays quickly at a time when working on her mathematics was equally urgent. The deadline for submission for the coveted Prix Bordin award, which would cement her reputation as a significant mathematician, was fast approaching. But, for reasons important to Kovalevskaya, the plays had to be completed first!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 252\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.69 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 22, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47544572641533,"sku":"9798985029819","price":37.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/3414\/0157\/files\/MGpjR29iVVdnbjQvME9JWjcxMm1vUT09.webp?v=1778968638","url":"https:\/\/booktolia.com\/products\/mathematician-with-the-soul-of-a-poet-poems-and-plays-of-sofia-kovalevskaya-hardcover","provider":"booktolia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}