The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein
South America, 1925
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein trace the enigmatic genius’s 1925 tour through Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Einstein agreed to the extended visit for academic and humanitarian reasons; he was also trying to end an affair with his secretary and looked forward to the escape of a long boat voyage.
Edited by Einstein scholar Ze’ev Rosenkranz, the diaries reveal a quirky, witty, and charismatic man who could at times be intolerant and peevish. Rosenkranz advises that while some journal entries express racial superiority, these should be read within the context of Einstein’s eurocentric, intellectual male perspective. The journals also record Einstein’s more expansive mindset, as he marveled over the beauty of Montevideo and the lost glories of the Incas.
In his diaries, Einstein often complained about the constant need to “gallivant” at lectures and receptions. He wrote letters to his family about being given exotic souvenirs and how he hated the Argentinians’ meaty diet but enjoyed their native music. Eager to return to Berlin in May of 1925, Einstein was nonetheless “overwhelmed” by the many honors he’d received while abroad.
With supplementary correspondence, photographs, itineraries, and speeches, this faceted glimpse of Einstein as a “traveler in relativity” is intimate and captivating.
Reviewed by
Meg Nola
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