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J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Life
The late Abraham Pais, author of the award winning biography of Albert Einstein, Subtle is the Lord , here offers an illuminating portrait of another of his eminent colleagues, J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the most charismatic and enigmatic figures of modern physics.
Pais introduces us to a precocious youth who sped through Harvard in three years, made signal contributions to quantum mechanics while in his twenties, and was instrumental in the growth of American physics in the decade before the Second World War, almost single-handedly bringing it to a state of prominence. He paints a revealing portrait of Oppenheimer's life in Los Alamos, where in twenty remarkable, feverish months, and under his inspired guidance, the first atomic bomb was designed and built, a success that made Oppenheimer America's most famous scientist. Pais describes Oppenheimer's long tenure as Director of the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, where the two men worked together closely. He shows not only Oppenheimer's brilliance and leadership, but also how his displays of intensity and arrogance won him powerful enemies, ones who would ultimately make him one of the principal victims of the Red Scare of the 1950s.
J. Robert Oppenheimer is Abraham Pais's final work, completed after his death by Robert P. Crease, an acclaimed historian of science in his own right. Told with compassion and deep insight, it is the most comprehensive biography of the great physicist available. Anyone seeking an insider's portrait of this enigmatic man will find it indispensable.
Pais introduces us to a precocious youth who sped through Harvard in three years, made signal contributions to quantum mechanics while in his twenties, and was instrumental in the growth of American physics in the decade before the Second World War, almost single-handedly bringing it to a state of prominence. He paints a revealing portrait of Oppenheimer's life in Los Alamos, where in twenty remarkable, feverish months, and under his inspired guidance, the first atomic bomb was designed and built, a success that made Oppenheimer America's most famous scientist. Pais describes Oppenheimer's long tenure as Director of the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, where the two men worked together closely. He shows not only Oppenheimer's brilliance and leadership, but also how his displays of intensity and arrogance won him powerful enemies, ones who would ultimately make him one of the principal victims of the Red Scare of the 1950s.
J. Robert Oppenheimer is Abraham Pais's final work, completed after his death by Robert P. Crease, an acclaimed historian of science in his own right. Told with compassion and deep insight, it is the most comprehensive biography of the great physicist available. Anyone seeking an insider's portrait of this enigmatic man will find it indispensable.
353 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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231 people want to read
About the author
Abraham Pais
32 books42 followersAbraham Pais was a physicist, specialising in particle physics, who became a well-known science historian later in life, having worked closely with prominent scientists such as Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 17, 2023
per essere stata la mia prima biografia sono rimasta molto sorpresa!
lo stile di scrittura ha fatto in modo che mi divorassi 400 pagine che mi hannoo fornito un'immagine di Robert Oppenheimer completa a 360°.
integrare film e libro a parer mio è la cosa migliore (l'adatamento è degno di nota e rispecchia molto la sua vera personalità).
ho apprezzato tantissimo le testimonianze presenti all'interno del libro, tantissime e frequenti, che mi hanno permesso di toccare con mano la realtà, e ricordarmi che la persona di cui si parlava era veramente lì presente all'epoca.
veramente molto bello; non lo consiglio a tutti ma se mi ritrovassi davanti allo scaffale della biblioteca lo riprenderei in prestito
lo stile di scrittura ha fatto in modo che mi divorassi 400 pagine che mi hannoo fornito un'immagine di Robert Oppenheimer completa a 360°.
integrare film e libro a parer mio è la cosa migliore (l'adatamento è degno di nota e rispecchia molto la sua vera personalità).
ho apprezzato tantissimo le testimonianze presenti all'interno del libro, tantissime e frequenti, che mi hanno permesso di toccare con mano la realtà, e ricordarmi che la persona di cui si parlava era veramente lì presente all'epoca.
veramente molto bello; non lo consiglio a tutti ma se mi ritrovassi davanti allo scaffale della biblioteca lo riprenderei in prestito
February 18, 2014
The legacy of Robert Oppenheimer (Oppie)
This is an excellent biography of Robert Oppenheimer (Oppie), the physicist who successfully created the first atomic bomb in the United States. The author is a fellow physicist and a close friend of Oppenheimer, writes his observations about a man who is as complex as any human being can be. In 1920's, the author recalls several incidents' of violence and troubled nature of Oppie partly due to his inept performance in the laboratory and his unsatisfactory sexual adventures or his overall insecurities in life. In one instance, the author states that he seemed agitated because he gave a poisoned apple to one of his friend. Oppenheimer had a dysfunctional family; his wife Kitty was a confirmed alcoholic who was vicious to anyone she did not like. The troubled relationship between two parents had significant negative impact on their two children. Peter did not get along with his mother and left home in his late teens and their daughter Toni committed suicide.
While in Berkeley in 1936, his girlfriend Jean Tatlock of Stanford introduced him to communist party and her left-wing friends in San Francisco which led the way for great deal of trouble during McCarthy era. In 1949, Oppenheimer appeared before the house committee on un-American activities (HUAC) and answered some tough questions about his brother and left-wing friends. The Security Board's hearing in 1954 on Oppenheimer's security clearance was traumatic when they revoked his clearance. This was a sad time in his life, since he emerged from the war as an American hero, and the War department called him "a man of boundless energy, rare common sense, and possessing tremendous organizational abilities." The year 1949 was not good for Oppie, since in the same year Soviets had successfully tested an atomic bomb. The quickness with which the Soviets had produced the bomb had many people to believe that American physicists may have given secretive information to Soviets. Klaus Fuchs was the first suspect who was convicted for his crime. Harry Gold in Philadelphia, David Greenglass in New York, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg's were also convicted of passing on the nuclear secrets to Soviets. A security officer falsely accused Oppenheimer was responsible for passing on secrets to Soviets. This did not sit well with McCarthy and Hoover who disliked him strongly.
Oppenheimer delivered brilliant summaries as a keynote speaker. He explained complex physical problems, turned unforgettable phrases, attracted reporters, and idolaters. He was half-legendry; he was loathed and feared for the brutal way he treated people. He was highly respected and cordially disliked. Oppenheimer was also notorious in getting math wrong although his physics was always sound. Oppenheimer implicitly predicted the existence of positions just about the time Dirac explicitly stated that. His contributions included; Born-Oppenheimer approximation, Oppenheimer-Phillips effect and physics of black holes. During his tenure as the director of prestigious Institute of advanced Study at Princeton, he showed leadership for the advancement of physics by assembling the right people just like he did at Los Alamos laboratory. He concentrated mainly on young physicists. He hired Freeman Dyson and C. N. Yang. Other notable visitors were Hideki Yukawa, Sin-itiro Tomaya, David Bohm, John van Neumann, and Oswald Veblen.
Oppenheimer was more interested in Hindu philosophy since early 1920s and spent more time studying Vedanta and Vedic literature than his study of stellar structures at Pauli's Institute at Zurich. In his letters to his brother Frank, he expresses his interest in studying Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy. In some respects Oppenheimer was over educated in those fields which lie outside physics, especially religion and Hinduism in particular. Oppenheimer himself translated the following hymn from Vedic literature just two days before the first testing of atomic bomb at Trinity site near Alamogordo in New Mexico.
"In battle, in the forest, at the precipice in the mountains
On the dark great sea, in the midst of javelins and arrows,
In sleep, in confusion, in the depths of shame,
The good deeds a man has done before will defend him."
Shortly after the successful testing of the first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945, Oppenheimer saw the fireball glowing and two hymns from Bhagavadgita came to his mind. One is from Gita 11.12
"A thousand simultaneous suns
Arising in the sky
Mighty equal that great
With that great radiance glory vie"
The second, the most quoted is when Krishna speaks to Arjuna (Gita 11.32)
Death (time) am I, the great destroyer
Of the world
This hymn is variously stated in the literature on nuclear weapons. One form "I am become death, the shatterer of the worlds" is most common. William Laurence, a New York Times reporter who interviewed Oppenheimer was the first one to hear this quote, and latter quoted by Robert Junk in his 1958 book. According to Vedanta, death is an illusion, even though the body perishes but the soul is eternal. It appears that Oppenheimer was more focused on the duty to act and not the results of the action, which is another important message of Gita. You can hear the video recording of Oppenheimer reciting this verse on YouTube.
This is an excellent biography of Robert Oppenheimer (Oppie), the physicist who successfully created the first atomic bomb in the United States. The author is a fellow physicist and a close friend of Oppenheimer, writes his observations about a man who is as complex as any human being can be. In 1920's, the author recalls several incidents' of violence and troubled nature of Oppie partly due to his inept performance in the laboratory and his unsatisfactory sexual adventures or his overall insecurities in life. In one instance, the author states that he seemed agitated because he gave a poisoned apple to one of his friend. Oppenheimer had a dysfunctional family; his wife Kitty was a confirmed alcoholic who was vicious to anyone she did not like. The troubled relationship between two parents had significant negative impact on their two children. Peter did not get along with his mother and left home in his late teens and their daughter Toni committed suicide.
While in Berkeley in 1936, his girlfriend Jean Tatlock of Stanford introduced him to communist party and her left-wing friends in San Francisco which led the way for great deal of trouble during McCarthy era. In 1949, Oppenheimer appeared before the house committee on un-American activities (HUAC) and answered some tough questions about his brother and left-wing friends. The Security Board's hearing in 1954 on Oppenheimer's security clearance was traumatic when they revoked his clearance. This was a sad time in his life, since he emerged from the war as an American hero, and the War department called him "a man of boundless energy, rare common sense, and possessing tremendous organizational abilities." The year 1949 was not good for Oppie, since in the same year Soviets had successfully tested an atomic bomb. The quickness with which the Soviets had produced the bomb had many people to believe that American physicists may have given secretive information to Soviets. Klaus Fuchs was the first suspect who was convicted for his crime. Harry Gold in Philadelphia, David Greenglass in New York, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg's were also convicted of passing on the nuclear secrets to Soviets. A security officer falsely accused Oppenheimer was responsible for passing on secrets to Soviets. This did not sit well with McCarthy and Hoover who disliked him strongly.
Oppenheimer delivered brilliant summaries as a keynote speaker. He explained complex physical problems, turned unforgettable phrases, attracted reporters, and idolaters. He was half-legendry; he was loathed and feared for the brutal way he treated people. He was highly respected and cordially disliked. Oppenheimer was also notorious in getting math wrong although his physics was always sound. Oppenheimer implicitly predicted the existence of positions just about the time Dirac explicitly stated that. His contributions included; Born-Oppenheimer approximation, Oppenheimer-Phillips effect and physics of black holes. During his tenure as the director of prestigious Institute of advanced Study at Princeton, he showed leadership for the advancement of physics by assembling the right people just like he did at Los Alamos laboratory. He concentrated mainly on young physicists. He hired Freeman Dyson and C. N. Yang. Other notable visitors were Hideki Yukawa, Sin-itiro Tomaya, David Bohm, John van Neumann, and Oswald Veblen.
Oppenheimer was more interested in Hindu philosophy since early 1920s and spent more time studying Vedanta and Vedic literature than his study of stellar structures at Pauli's Institute at Zurich. In his letters to his brother Frank, he expresses his interest in studying Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy. In some respects Oppenheimer was over educated in those fields which lie outside physics, especially religion and Hinduism in particular. Oppenheimer himself translated the following hymn from Vedic literature just two days before the first testing of atomic bomb at Trinity site near Alamogordo in New Mexico.
"In battle, in the forest, at the precipice in the mountains
On the dark great sea, in the midst of javelins and arrows,
In sleep, in confusion, in the depths of shame,
The good deeds a man has done before will defend him."
Shortly after the successful testing of the first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945, Oppenheimer saw the fireball glowing and two hymns from Bhagavadgita came to his mind. One is from Gita 11.12
"A thousand simultaneous suns
Arising in the sky
Mighty equal that great
With that great radiance glory vie"
The second, the most quoted is when Krishna speaks to Arjuna (Gita 11.32)
Death (time) am I, the great destroyer
Of the world
This hymn is variously stated in the literature on nuclear weapons. One form "I am become death, the shatterer of the worlds" is most common. William Laurence, a New York Times reporter who interviewed Oppenheimer was the first one to hear this quote, and latter quoted by Robert Junk in his 1958 book. According to Vedanta, death is an illusion, even though the body perishes but the soul is eternal. It appears that Oppenheimer was more focused on the duty to act and not the results of the action, which is another important message of Gita. You can hear the video recording of Oppenheimer reciting this verse on YouTube.
February 4, 2019
This is a very good book on Oppenheimer - a brilliant but divisive scientist, who had an amazing life and achieved so much.
Having studied Mathematics, I'd heard about Oppenheimer in college but had no idea about some of the more controversial aspects of his life and personality. The book describes his time at Los Alamos, where his leadership seems to have been incredible, at such a difficult time, though I'd have preferred much more detail of that time.
It was incredibly revealing and educational to learn about the hearings and the IAS directorship, such a controversial and bitter time.
As divisive as Oppenheimer was, he comes out of the book a lot better rather than Teller, who seems to have been a right douchebag.
It was amazing to read about the ongoings with quotes from people like Bohr, Fermi, Feynman and Rabi and there was so much awesome content. Together with the content and that Oppenheimer had such a fascinating life that this book should have been a "5-star", however, but I found Pais's writing style quite painful and lethargic.
Having studied Mathematics, I'd heard about Oppenheimer in college but had no idea about some of the more controversial aspects of his life and personality. The book describes his time at Los Alamos, where his leadership seems to have been incredible, at such a difficult time, though I'd have preferred much more detail of that time.
It was incredibly revealing and educational to learn about the hearings and the IAS directorship, such a controversial and bitter time.
As divisive as Oppenheimer was, he comes out of the book a lot better rather than Teller, who seems to have been a right douchebag.
It was amazing to read about the ongoings with quotes from people like Bohr, Fermi, Feynman and Rabi and there was so much awesome content. Together with the content and that Oppenheimer had such a fascinating life that this book should have been a "5-star", however, but I found Pais's writing style quite painful and lethargic.
November 26, 2025
IT 🇮🇹
Lui, Oppie, l'uomo che ha ridefinito il concetto di potere sulla materia, viene raffigurato dall'amico e collega Pais senza sconti, ma onestamente, con la sua ansia nell'esercizio di un potere pesantissimo, nello sforzo di sostenere un peso intellettuale, scientifico, in campo politico, ma anche di contestualizzarne la figura di uomo colto e fragile.
EN 🇬🇧
He, Oppie, the man who materially redefined the concept of power, is portrayed by his friend and colleague Pais without concessions, but honestly, with his anxiety in the exercise of a very heavy power, in the effort to sustain an intellectual, scientific weight, in the political field, but also to contextualize the figure of a cultured and fragile man.
Lui, Oppie, l'uomo che ha ridefinito il concetto di potere sulla materia, viene raffigurato dall'amico e collega Pais senza sconti, ma onestamente, con la sua ansia nell'esercizio di un potere pesantissimo, nello sforzo di sostenere un peso intellettuale, scientifico, in campo politico, ma anche di contestualizzarne la figura di uomo colto e fragile.
EN 🇬🇧
He, Oppie, the man who materially redefined the concept of power, is portrayed by his friend and colleague Pais without concessions, but honestly, with his anxiety in the exercise of a very heavy power, in the effort to sustain an intellectual, scientific weight, in the political field, but also to contextualize the figure of a cultured and fragile man.
Read
August 28, 2023interessant.
Ik herinnerde me veel dingen niet. Wel de enigszins ambigue houding van Pais tov RO.
Geeft wel inzicht in de houding van RO tov van de waterstofbom: deze was lang technisch niet mogelijk als bom. Pas later kwam er een doorbraak die mede kwam van Ulam. Teller 'vergat' vaak deze bijdrage.
Er werd over Teller vaak gezegd dat hij wel goede inzichten had maar dat zijn berekeningen altijd fout waren, zoals de keer dat Teller vergat een factor c2 in een berekening.
Ook van RO werd gezegd dat zijn berekeningen vaak fout waren, wat ook zo was volgen Pais die ze na kon rekenen.
Ik herinnerde me veel dingen niet. Wel de enigszins ambigue houding van Pais tov RO.
Geeft wel inzicht in de houding van RO tov van de waterstofbom: deze was lang technisch niet mogelijk als bom. Pas later kwam er een doorbraak die mede kwam van Ulam. Teller 'vergat' vaak deze bijdrage.
Er werd over Teller vaak gezegd dat hij wel goede inzichten had maar dat zijn berekeningen altijd fout waren, zoals de keer dat Teller vergat een factor c2 in een berekening.
Ook van RO werd gezegd dat zijn berekeningen vaak fout waren, wat ook zo was volgen Pais die ze na kon rekenen.
May 12, 2023
Abraham Pais was one of the best biography writers of the last century. His biography of Albert Einstein, Subtle Is the Lord, is one of the best takes on Einstein's life and legacies I have read. Reading this biography on Oppenheimer reminded me of the gift that Pais possessed. It is very sad to know he passed away before the completion of this book; I am sure it would have been even better had he seen it through to the end.
December 22, 2024
A boring take on a very interesting man. I thought reading a book written by someone who knew Oppenheimer in real life would provide some grand insights, but it was the opposite of that. Could be an interesting read for someone with a mathematics or physics background, and an interest in something as mundane as institutional appointments and a who’s who of the physics world in the first half of the 20th century.
June 3, 2023
Fantastic biography of Oppenheimer from a man who knew him, and those around him, personally.
July 15, 2023
The government sucks.
April 2, 2015
Robert Oppenheimer was among the most brilliant and divisive of men. As head of the Los Alamos Laboratory, he oversaw the successful effort to beat the Nazis in the race to develop the first atomic bomb—a breakthrough that was to have eternal ramifications for mankind and that made Oppenheimer the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” But with his actions leading up to that great achievement, he also set himself on a dangerous collision course with Senator Joseph McCarthy and his witch-hunters.
April 3, 2015
Robert Oppenheimer was among the most brilliant and divisive of men. As head of the Los Alamos Laboratory, he oversaw the successful effort to beat the Nazis in the race to develop the first atomic bomb—a breakthrough that was to have eternal ramifications for mankind and that made Oppenheimer the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.”I find this book to be quite interesting as it talks about his perspective of the development of the atomic bombs and his thoughts on it.
September 30, 2012
Brilliantly written piece of work by Pais. It doesnt concentrate too much on the Los Alamos time and instead sheds more light on the security hearing and his directorship at the IAS.
The nicest characteristic of this book is the amounts of quotes and opinions of other notable physicists like Bohr, Rabi and Fermi.
The nicest characteristic of this book is the amounts of quotes and opinions of other notable physicists like Bohr, Rabi and Fermi.
November 26, 2024
Abraham Pais was a theoretical physicist and historian of science who knew some of the physicists of his time personally. J. Robert Oppenheimer was such a person. Pais was thus able to combine his deep knowledge of physics and his understanding of Oppenheimer to write a compelling biography. Pais did a fine job explaining the contributions of Oppenheimer to science.
April 18, 2009
this is not really a biography but rather memories of the man. The author is not a writer but a physicist who thought he could write. The writing is plodding, the biography is incomplete, Los Alamos is not covered.
June 24, 2012
This is a book written for physicists. For the layperson the technical nature of the presentation is just too difficult to comprehend just how much Oppenheimer contributed to science. This was the first book in a long time that I gave up on.
July 16, 2014
(entered years later; read before Goodreads)
Probably enjoyed it.
Newmarket library.
Probably enjoyed it.
Newmarket library.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews