The novel
Presentation
First period 1896-1907
ISBN 978-2956212744 - 440 p - Paperback - 21€
Release August 30, 2021
Click here to order it
Second period 1907-1915
ISBN 978-2956212768 - 528 p- Paperback - 22 €
Release June 2, 2023
The Belle Époque, a turning point between two centuries, saw the emergence of Art Nouveau, Post-Impressionism and suffragists. It was also the melting pot of the automobile, cinematography, X-rays and radioactivity.
Two figures dominated this discipline: Marie Curie and Ernest Rutherford. It is the journey of this New Zealand peasant's son, who has become a major figure in science, that this novel traces.
With its challenges, trials, victories and joys, this story might sound like a modern fable. Its hero would be an inventive researcher, an inspiring teacher, a discreet humanist, committed to science, justice, women's rights and international cooperation.
But Ernest Rutherford was much better than a hero: he was a simple man. And one hundred and fifty years after his birth, he still represents an example for those who want to see the world progress.
Manchester, 1907: a new life begins for Ernest Rutherford. Associated with those of Marie Curie, his work has already paved the way for multiple applications, fundamental or medical, of radioactivity. He nevertheless feels that these phenomena have not revealed all their secrets. And he loves these kinds of challenges.
However, many obstacles stand in the way: technical constraints, lack of funding, competing theories, antagonism of the defenders of the established order...
Fortunately, in their struggle to have their work known and respected, Rutherford and Curie found new allies, such as Geiger , Einstein, Bohr… and chance.
As the 1910s approach, in this world where prosperity and knowledge enrichment go hand in hand, nothing seems able to stop the progress of science; nor the rise of Ernest Rutherford.
Title
If I have chosen the title of my novel Seeking the very principle of the world (Chercher le principe même du monde, in French), it is first of all with the aim of rendering as precisely as possible the essence of Rutherford's life. Was it necessary to use one of the many names* which had been attributed to him ("the father of nuclear physics", "a simple man", "a happy warrior", "the Prof", "Papa", the Magnificent "," the Crocodile ") or focus on one element of his research (radioactivity, atom, proton ...) or on one of its characteristics (boisterous, hardworking, faithful, imaginative, angry, determined. ...)
After exploring various avenues, I stopped on a group of words; words chosen by Rutherford to express the goal towards which his whole life had strived: it was the motto he had chosen when he had been made Lord on January 1, 1931.
"Primordia quaerere rerum" was undoubtedly the synthesis of his thought.
"Seek out the principle of things" (Chercher le principe des choses, in French).
I didn't really like this word "choses" (things), nor the overall sound of the sentence in French.
So I have included these "choses" in the word "monde" (world) and added a "foot" to the tirade, with the word "même" (very, in English).
Thus was born Chercher le principe même du monde i.e. "Seeking the very principle of the world".
I hope Ernest won't hold it against me for taking this liberty.
* Here are the sources of the names or nicknames attributed to Ernest Rutherford:
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"the father of nuclear physics": term commonly used in scientific circles; I don't know the origin.
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"a simple man": this is how Rutherford defined himself
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"a happy warrior": Sir James Jeans, in the eulogy which he delivered for Rutherford in 1937 (purely English expression, taken from the poem Character of the Happy Warrior , written by William Wordsworth in 1807).
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"the Prof": Hans Geiger
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"Papa": his collaborators in Manchester, in reference to a comedy act which was successful in the late 1900s in this city
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the Magnificent ": Paul Langevin
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"the Crocodile": Piotr Kapitza, who inspired the carving shown here, made on the wall of a new building of the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge.
Goal
​The aim of this biography of Rutherford is to highlight this contemporary of Curie or Einstein, whose equally crucial role remains unknown. It constitutes, in my opinion, an example:
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by his career, which began in a land of pioneers in a very modest family and ended with the greatest honors, thanks to his perseverance, his intelligence, his intuition ... and a few nudges from fate;
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by its positioning on subjects which still mark our time, such as equality between women and men, illustrated by its involvement in women's suffrage, the awarding of diplomas to female students and the recognition of their contributions to science;
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through its coaching methods, based on trust, good humor and the recognition of its team members, without distinction of origin, level of diploma, age or gender.
Genre
The genre of the fictionalized biography aims to combine the dynamism of the novel, as well as its power of immersion and identification, with a rigorous use of data and real facts.
The narrative is external and chronological, so as to present the personal development of Ernest, with his hopes and doubts, as well as the progress of science as they have appeared, with their inevitable trial and error, announcements of discoveries and refutations, collaborations and oppositions between researchers from different universities.
Part of the challenge raised by this project is to integrate scientific developments into the flow of the plot, making them understandable, and to use them to maintain an element of suspense about the outcome of certain experiments or certain phases of competition between rival teams.
Structure and progress
The novel is divided into three parts:
First period (1896-1907)
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440 pages:
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Release for Ernest Rutherford's 150th birthday, August 30, 2021 .
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Publication by Éditions Fin Mars début avril
Second period (1907-1915)
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Writing completed (June 2022)
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First external proofreading / correction (07/22)
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Final proofreading completed (08/22-01/23)
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Second external proofreading in progress (02/23)
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Final corrections following external proofreading, and ultimate reading (05/23)
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530 pages
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Publication: june 2023
Third period (1916-1937)
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Main lines drawn;
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Epilogue, set in 2010, written.
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Publication: planned for 2025
Sources
All the elements present on this site were gathered, during a period of approximately 10 years, then analyzed, selected, organized and finally formatted in order to constitute the biographical novel that I had decided to devote to Ernest Rutherford.
I present here what this project looks like, but you can find the list of my sources on the dedicated page .
