Sylvia Nasar
Full Name and Common Aliases
Sylvia Nasar is a renowned American journalist, author, and academic.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on August 10, 1947.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Nasar's nationality is American. Her professions include:
Journalist
Author
AcademicEarly Life and Background
Sylvia Nasar was born in Germany to a Jewish family that had fled Nazi persecution in the late 1930s. She grew up in New York City, where she developed an interest in writing and mathematics from an early age. Nasar earned her Bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College in 1968 and later received her Master's degree in journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.Major Accomplishments
Sylvia Nasar's most notable accomplishment is undoubtedly the publication of her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "A Beautiful Mind." The biography tells the story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who struggled with paranoid schizophrenia. Through extensive research and interviews with Nash and his family, Nasar humanized the complex figure and shed light on the world of mathematics.Notable Works or Actions
In addition to "A Beautiful Mind," Nasar has written several other books that demonstrate her mastery of narrative nonfiction:
"Grand Pursuit: The Story of the People Who Created the World We Live In" (2011)
"Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder" (co-authored with Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 2012)
"The Primal Feast: Food, Social Status, and Symbolic Expression in 20th-Century France" (2000)
Impact and Legacy
Sylvia Nasar's work has had a profound impact on the world of mathematics and beyond. Her writing has not only shed light on complex mathematical concepts but also illuminated the human side of her subjects. "A Beautiful Mind," for example, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 and was adapted into an Oscar-winning film.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Sylvia Nasar's unique blend of journalistic skill and narrative flair has earned her a reputation as one of the most respected biographers of our time. Her ability to humanize complex figures and convey intricate ideas in clear, engaging prose has inspired countless readers and writers. As a testament to her enduring legacy, "A Beautiful Mind" remains a beloved classic, and Nasar's other works continue to attract attention from scholars and general readers alike.
Quotes by Sylvia Nasar
Sylvia Nasar's insights on:
RAND scientists tried to tell their wives that the decision whether to buy or not to buy a washing machine was an ‘optimization problem’.
Among the students, the Phantom was often held up as a cautionary figure: Anybody who was too much of a grind or who lacked social graces was warned that he or she was “going to wind up like the Phantom.”10 Yet if a new student complained that having him around made him feel uncomfortable, he was immediately warned: “He was a better mathematician than you’ll ever be!
42 A few months after Nash got out, Baumecker called the Institute for Advanced Study and asked to speak to Oppenheimer about whether Nash was now sane. Oppenheimer replied, “That’s something no one on earth can tell you, doctor.
Fermat’s assertion that if n is any whole number and p any prime, then n multiplied by itself p times minus n is divisible by p.
In The Dynamics of Creation, Anthony Storr, the British psychiatrist, contends that an individual who “fears love almost as much as he fears hatred” may turn to creative activity not only out of an impulse to experience aesthetic pleasure, or the delight of exercising an active mind, but also to defend himself against anxiety stimulated by conflicting demands for detachment and human contact.21.
It was like a tornado, you want to hold on to everything you have, you don’t want to let anything go.
A profound dislike for merely absorbing knowledge and a compulsion to learn by doing are among the most reliable signs of genius.
I’ve made the most important discovery of my life. It’s only in the mysterious equation of love that any logic or reasons can be found.
