"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman"
1984
- anecdotes
- anecdotes, facetiae, satire
- art
- biography
- humor
- music
- physicists
- professors
- richard phillips feynman
- samba
The story
The biography of the physicist and Nobel prize winner Richard P. Feynman - a collection of short stories, chapters told to and written down by Ralph Leighton. Feynman tells of his childhood and youth and goes into his adult life, both personally and professionally.
What it’s like
Brisk, conversational prose that sounds like someone talking across a dinner table, with the rhythm of a raconteur who never lets a story sit too long before the next one arrives. The chapters are short and self-contained, so it reads well in fragments: a few pages on a train, ten minutes before sleep, or during a slow afternoon with nothing else demanded. Its mood is warm, irreverent and quietly curious, a mix of delight at puzzles and a bristling distrust of pomposity. Expect boyish mischief in the childhood tales, a restless professor who would rather pick a lock or learn to bang bongos than sit through a committee, and a steady undercurrent of wonder at how things work. The emotional register stays light and affectionate, with occasional sober moments about grief and the people he loved, but nothing heavy lingers. There is no violence or sexual content to speak of, and the only real danger comes from a nuclear physics lab, handled with more humour than dread. It suits a lazy weekend, a long commute, or anyone wanting a clever, funny friend in their ear. It is for readers who enjoy curious minds, unpretentious humour and true stories told with a wink.
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