Aarhus University Press
Neighbouring Nobel: The History of Thirteen Danish Noble Prizes
Key Metrics
- Henry Nielsen
- Aarhus University Press
- Hardcover
- 9788772888996
- -
- -
- History > Europe - Scandinavia
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Danes have been awarded all five of the 'classic' Nobel Prizes: one Peace Prize, three Literature, three Physics, one Chemistry, and five Physiology or Medicine Prizes. Although only one recipient is internationally famous -- Niels Bohr, who won the Prize in 1922 for his application of quantum ideas to atomic structure -- the more obscure laureates are of interest precisely because they are obscure. Why were they selected? Who were they up against? How was the news about their prize received by colleagues abroad? Did the honor help or hinder their subsequent careers?
Prior to 1974, all deliberations behind the awarding of the Prize were strictly confidential. In that year, the Nobel Foundation granted access to the archives relating to prizes more than fifty years old, and this now applies to nine of the Danish prizes. With regard to these prizes, the book explores what went on behind the scenes -- who nominated the laureates, how their achievements were assessed, and what role politics may have played. On the four more recent prizes, the authors interviewed the laureates about the work the Prize rewarded and the Prize's personal and professional aftermath.
Before this book, such questions were impossible to answer, since nothing had been written about the circumstances that led to any of the Danish prizes, nor abouthow any of the thirteen laureates felt about receiving the most prestigious validation possible for a person's work. Neighbouring Nobel will be a valuable addition both to the literature on the Nobel Prize and to the study of 20th century Danish history.
Author Bio
My research during the last twenty years has mainly been concerned with various aspects of the scientific and technological development in Denmark and Greenland after 1900, resulting in the publication of a number of books and articles and lectures in Denmark and abroad. Since 1996 he has codirected three research projects:
1. In 1996-1998 together with Keld Nielsen, Flemming Petersen, and Hans Siggaard Jensen a project on the history of Risø, the Danish Atomic Energy Research Institution, resulting in the book Til Samfundets tarv - Forskningscenter Risøs historie (Risø 1998) and several articles, see list of publications.
2. In 1998-2001 together with Keld Nielsen a project on the Thirteen Danish Nobel Prize winners, financed by the Danish Ministry of Research and involving 15 historians of science. In 2001 the results were published as a 624-pages book in English Neighbouring Nobel:The History of Thirteen Danish Nobel Prizes (Aarhus 2001) as well as a 570-pages book in Danish Nabo til Nobel: Historien om tretten danske Nobelpriser (Aarhus 2001) plus a number of articles in English as well as in French and in Danish. See list of publications.
3. In 2001-2006 together with Helge Kragh, Peter C. Kjærgaard, and Kristian Hvidtfelt Nielsen a project on the History of Science in Denmark (the DVH-project), financed by the Carlsberg Foundation and involving more then 30 historians of science in Denmark and abroad. The main results of the project were published as a four volume work in Danish: (1) Fra Middelalderlærdom til Den nye Videnskab 1000-1730, (2) Natur, Nytte og Ånd 1730-1850, (3) Lys over Landet 1850-1920, og (4) Viden uden grænser 1920-1970. Together with Kristian Hvidtfelt Nielsen I have edited volume 4 and written a number of articles in connection with the publication. See list of publications.
4. In 2006-2008 together with Helge Kragh, Peter C. Kjærgaard, and Kristian Hvidtfelt Nielsen, I have written a one volume English edition of the above mentioned DVH-books. The title of the English edition is: Science in Denmark: A Thousand-Year History. Published by Aarhus University Press it came out in December 2008.
5. After my retirement in 2007, together with Kristine Harper, Ron Doel, Matthias Heymann, Kristian Hvidtfelt Nielsen and Henrik Knudsen, I have initiated and contributed to the project Exploring Greenland: Science and Technology in a Cold War Setting, which received generous support from the Carlsberg Foundation, and the main results of which have been published in the book Exploring Greenland: Science and Technology on Ice (Palgrave MacMillan 2016). My two most recent books are: Uranbjerget - Om forsøgene på at finde og udnytte Grønlands uran fra 1944 til i dag (Coauthor Henrik Knudsen. Published by Forlaget Vandkunsten, Copenhagen) and Camp Century - Koldkrigsbyen under Grønlands indlandsis (Coauthor Kristian Hvidtfelt Nielsen. Published by Aarhus University Press, Aarhus).
Source: Aarhus University Centre for Science Studies
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