The Unreal Life of Oscar Zariski

By Carol Parikh

Book Overview

Oscar Zariski's work in mathematics permanently altered the foundations of algebraic geometry. The powerful tools he forged from the ideas of modern algebra allowed him to penetrate classical problems with an unaccustomed depth, and brought new rigor to the intuitive proofs of the Italian School. The students he trained at Hopkins, and later at Harvard, are among the foremost mathematicians of our time.

While what he called his "real life" is recorded in almost a hundred books and papers, this story of his "unreal life" is based upon Parikh's interviews with his family, colleagues, and students, and on his own memories from a series of tape-recorded interviews made a few years before his death in 1986.

First published in 1991, The Unreal Life of Oscar Zariski was highly successful and widely praised, but has been out of print for many years. Springer is proud to make this book available again, introducing Oscar Zariski to a new generation of mathematicians.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0387094296
• ISBN13: 9780387094298
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Springer
• Length: 194 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Mathematician in Turbulent Times

Carol Parikh's engaging bio of Oscar Zariski is a valuable contribution to the history of mathematics; it provides an understandable history of the development of algebraic geometry. The book also offers a valuable lesson in how political and racist vendettas have affected the "pure" science of mathematics and the lives of mathematicians. I came across her compelling book a year after publishing "A3 & His Algebra," the bio of A.A. Albert, who had a close collegial relationship with Zariski. The personal histories of both men demonstrate the importance of a free and open academic atmosphere to the development of scientific innovation. Nancy E. Albert, author of "A3 & His Algebra".