Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Gösta Mittag-Leffler

A Man of Conviction

  • Book
  • © 2010

Overview

Authors:
  1. Arild Stubhaug

    1. University of Oslo, Blindern, Department of Mathematics, Oslo, Norway

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • First and only biography of Gösta Mittag-Leffler, often called the father of Swedish mathematics

  • English edition of another book by Arild Stubhaug, both a historian and a mathematician

  • Trade book for a general readership, and not a technical book for specialists

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (76 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-X
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Prelude

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Journey at the Turn of the Century

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 3-22

    3. The House in Djursholm

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 23-37

  3. Family and Childhood

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 39-39
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Leffler and Mittag

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 41-44

    3. Gösta’s Parents

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 45-51

    4. The Teacher’s Family in Stockholm

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 53-60

    5. Four Years at Stockholm Gymnasium

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 61-72

  4. Studies

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 73-73
      Download chapter PDF

    2. First Semester in Uppsala

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 75-83

    3. Festivities and Student Drills

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 85-90

    4. Summer on the West Coast

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 91-94

    5. The Aristocracy of Lennartsnäs

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 95-103

    6. Controversy over the Academic Degree Regulations

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 105-111

    7. His Sister’s Debut and His Father’s Illness

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 113-120

    8. First Trip Abroad

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 121-127

    9. The Stablemaster at Övrejärva

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 129-132

    10. Doctoral Degree

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 133-137

    11. Docent in Uppsala

      • Arild Stubhaug
      Pages 139-144
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

Gösta 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.

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 Gösta 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)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Oslo, Blindern, Department of Mathematics, Oslo, Norway

    Arild Stubhaug

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.

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation