Michael Frayn's "Copenhagen" in Debate: Historical Essays and Documents on the 1941 Meeting Between Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg [Paperback]

Matthias Dörries (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0967261724 | ISBN-13: 978-0967261720

In 1941, two of the world's leading scientists met in Nazi-occupied Denmark. They were old friends, a mentor and his brilliant former protégé, and together they had changed the world of physics. But one was German and a leading figure in Hitler's nuclear fission program. The other was Danish, half-Jewish, and a statesman in the global physics community. The meeting between Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr broke off in embarrassment and strained their relationship for the rest of their lives. What was said – what exactly happened that night – has been fiercely debated ever since. Michael Frayn's Tony Award-winning drama Copenhagen takes the controversial encounter to the stage. Was Heisenberg trying to forestall the development of nuclear weapons? Carrying out atomic espionage? Or just clumsily seeking personal rapprochement across a political chasm? Frayn's characters play through the different interpretations and find that their understandings, like quantum mechanics itself, are rooted in uncertainty. Michael Frayn illuminates the complexities of self-knowledge, memory, and the very possibility of recapturing the past. The production of Copenhagen stirred up a vigorous exchange between the playwright and historians of science. In 2002, the publicity prompted Bohr's family to release previously unavailable documents pertaining to the infamous conversation. In light of the new information, historians were forced to examine the incident yet again. Michael Frayn's Copenhagen in Debate collects essays specially written by leading historians in reaction to the play and the new documents. They debate Frayn's depiction, shed light on the mystery at its center, and reflect on the relation between history and drama. What conclusions can be drawn from Copenhagen? That is for the reader to decide. By special arrangement with the Niels Bohr Archive in Copenhagen, Bohr's now-famous documents are reproduced in this volume.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matthias Dörries (editor) is Professor for History of Science at the University of Strasbourg (Université Louis Pasteur). His research focuses on nineteenth-century (geo)physical science and the relation between science and language. Among his publications is Experimenting in tongues (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2002).

Product Details

• Paperback: 195 pages
• Publisher: Office for History of Science and Technology -- University of California, Berkeley (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967261724
• ISBN-13: 978-0967261720
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #818,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great, February 3, 2010

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This review is from: Michael Frayn's "Copenhagen" in Debate: Historical Essays and Documents on the 1941 Meeting Between Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg (Paperback)

Great collection of perspectives on the 1941 meeting between Heisenberg and Bohr. So of the presenters are pretty biased though. Very interesting read!