Letters written by Albert Einstein to his family have shed light on the scientist’s personal life, including a string of extramarital affairs. says the BBC.
The German-born scientist travelled extensively and wrote hundreds of letters to his family, unsealed by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Monday. The letters shed new light on the personal life of one of the 20th century’s greatest intellects.
The more than 3,500 pages of correspondence were written between 1912 and 1955, the year Einstein died. Among the revelations: Einstein lost much of his Nobel Prize money in the Great Depression, was a more devoted father than previously thought and made no bones about discussing his romantic liaisons with his second wife.
Einstein is known to have had 10 lovers, in addition to the two women he married after affairs with them.
Nobel-laureate Einstein was one of the founders of the Hebrew University and he bequeathed it his literary estate and personal papers. The university also has licensing rights to the scientist’s image, voice and quotes.
Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund, a former Hebrew University president and physicist, said those rights have been worth an estimated $1 million US a year to the school over the last 15 years.
Letters reveal relative truth of Einstein’s family life. Documents show 20th century giant was generous, affectionate – and adulterous, says Alok Jha in The Guardian. New letters challenge his reputation as cold towards his family.
Einstein with second wife Elsa and stepdaughter Margot(Click to enlarge)
“He was the 20th century’s greatest scientist, his name synonymous with genius. But while Albert Einstein’s theories are known and lauded the world over, insights into his private life are patchy and largely negative. He has been variously portrayed as a bad father, cruel to his wives and an adulterer. But that view could now change.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.