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Wednesday, Jul 12, 2006

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Insights into Einstein's personal life

Alok Jha

Documents show Albert Einstein was generous, affectionate, and adulterous

— PHOTO: AP

Albert Einstein's first wife and two sons and a letter are seen in a collection of letters made public by the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Monday.

London: He was the 20th Century's greatest scientist, his name synonymous with genius. But while Albert Einstein's theories are known and lauded the world over, insights into his private life are patchy and largely negative. He has been variously portrayed as a bad father, cruel to his wives and an adulterer.

But that view could now change. Spanning more than 3,500 pages, a newly released set of Einstein's personal correspondence provides new clues into the character of the Nobel Prize-winning scientist. He was open about his love affairs to his wife, lost much of his prize money in bad investments and was a much more devoted father than previously thought.

According to Hanoch Gutfreund of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who is chairman of the Albert Einstein Worldwide Exhibition, the new letters shatter myths that the great scientist was always cold towards his family.

Einstein was married twice, to Mileva Maric from 1903 until 1919 and to his cousin Elsa from 1919 until her death in 1936. Previously released letters suggested that his first marriage was miserable and that he cheated on Elsa with his secretary, Betty Neumann. There is evidence that he diverted part of his winnings from the 1921 Nobel Prize into providing for Mileva and his children. He invested the rest in Europe and America — and lost much of it during the Great Depression.

Einstein was surprisingly candid to Elsa about his extramarital affairs. Between the mid-1920s and his emigration to the U.S. in 1933, there were several women in his life: a Margarete, an Estella, two women called Toni and an Ethel. He shared holidays with them, read books and attended concerts.

In a letter to Elsa, he said women were chasing him, showering him with unwanted attention. But he was aware of his weaknesses.

Einstein was much closer to Elsa's daughter, Margot. He wrote: ``I love her [Margot] as much as if she were my own daughter, perhaps even more so, since who knows what kind of brat she would have become [had I fathered her].''

The 1,300 letters were shielded from the public in accordance with Margot's request that they be locked away for 20 years after her death. Margot died in July 1986. —

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