The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein: South America, 1925

With The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein in hand, the reader will be able to gain in-depth knowledge of the uncensored thoughts, feelings, and opinions of one of the greatest geniuses in science, during his three-month trip through South America, including his stay in Rio de Janeiro.

In the spring of 1925, Albert Einstein embarked on a trip to Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. After numerous invitations from the scientific and Jewish communities, Einstein agreed to the extended visit for academic and humanitarian reasons. At the same time, he was trying to end an affair with his secretary, longing for the escape afforded by a long voyage aboard the SS Cap Polonio.

In his travel diaries, the scientist and humanitarian icon recorded his first impressions and deepest reflections on the people he met and the places he visited. Organized by scholar Ze'ev Rosenkranz, the diaries reveal—without censorship—a peculiar man: a passionate violinist, witty and charismatic, but also intolerant and grumpy—that is, the ordinary human being, with all his flaws and prejudices, behind the genius and greatest physicist in history.

Spanning three months, The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein – through facsimiles of the originals, photographs, and additional texts such as letters, institutional correspondence, postcards, and speeches – are a glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest figures of the 20th century and a precious historical record.