Unearthed letters reveal the warm friendship of Einstein and Curie
A new publication reveals the content of 32 letters exchanged between Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Albert Einstein from 1911 to 1932. The content of the messages clearly indicates the nature of their relationship.
A publication containing 32 letters exchanged between Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Albert Einstein from 1911 to 1932 will appear in bookshops. The book, enriched with commentary, allows readers to glimpse into the relationship between these two distinguished scientists. As the publishers emphasise, this correspondence reveals the mutual admiration, respect, and friendship that connected Skłodowska-Curie and Einstein.
Publishing for the first time the correspondence between Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Albert Einstein is a groundbreaking event. With particular emotion, we read these letters exchanged over more than twenty years, wrote the laureate's grandson and granddaughter, Prof. Hélène Langevin-Joliot and Prof. Pierre Joliot, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.
Professor Hanoch Gutfreund, curator of Einstein's legacy, notes that the letters are a testament to the special relationship between the scientists. "However, the foundation of their lasting friendship and mutual recognition was not only their shared interest in science, but above all their mutual admiration for each other's dedication to human values and social commitment," the professor indicated.
This is how their relationship developed
Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Albert Einstein met for the first time in 1909 during the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the University of Geneva. Although initially nothing suggested the development of a close relationship, their acquaintance deepened after the congress in Brussels in 1911. In the same year, Einstein wrote to Skłodowska-Curie expressing support amid rumours of her affair with Paul Langevin.
In 1913, both scientists went on a trip to the Alps, which allowed them to spend more time together. Einstein, who was going through a divorce at the time, described this trip in a letter to his cousin Elsa, highlighting Skłodowska-Curie's outstanding mind and stating that in terms of expressing emotion, she is "cold as a fish."
Collaboration after World War I
After World War I, contacts between Skłodowska-Curie and Einstein were resumed. Maria actively participated in the International Commission for Intellectual Cooperation under the League of Nations, encouraging Einstein to get involved. Although their scientific collaboration was limited, they met regularly during commission meetings in Geneva.
Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Einstein were more friends on a social level rather than a scientific one. Their fields of research interest did not overlap. Correspondence between them does not indicate that they exchanged any scientific ideas, noted Prof. Jan Piskurewicz, as quoted by PAP.
