The Unreal Life of Oscar Zariski

by Carol Parikh

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."

Genres: Mathematics, Biography, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1990

Reviews

[Tushant Mittal · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a PhD student, nothing motivates me as much as reading biographies of researchers (apart from speaking to my advisor!). This one was especially delightful as I know a bit about algebraic geometry, and the main characters were familiar names. The World War era researchers had to face a lot of hardships, and reading about these gives one much-needed perspective.

It is a short, brisk book focusing squarely on Zariski, which might bother you if you wish to read about the development of algebraic geometry in general. I personally did not mind it, but I would have liked more discussion on the life of Yole (Zariski's wife), and his relationship with his children.

Perfect holiday read, highly recommended :)

[Chik67 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se non siete matematici professionisti lasciate perdere...

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book worth revisiting for its insights into the development of algebraic geometry from someone that had been on the forefront of that subject for a century (appendices, especially).