American Prometheus
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Author | Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin |
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Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
Publication date | 2005 |
Pages | 721 |
ISBN | 978-0375726262 |
OCLC | 249029647 |
530.092 | |
LC Class | QC16.O62 B57 2005 |
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer is a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2005. Twenty-five years in the making, the book was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.[1] It also won the 2008 Duff Cooper Prize, Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year, and Discover Magazine Best Science Book of the Year.
Background[edit]
The book was compiled and researched for two decades by Martin J. Sherwin before Kai Bird was brought on to put it together in a cohesive and readable format.
The book's title refers to the legend of Prometheus, as mentioned in Scientific Monthly in September 1945:
"Modern Prometheans have raided Mount Olympus again and have brought back for man the very thunderbolts of Zeus."
Release[edit]
It is 721 pages from start to finish in the May 2006 paperback edition, but it also includes 32 pages of photographs.
The first edition also has 721 pages.
Film adaptation[edit]
The book is set to be adapted into the 2023 biographical film Oppenheimer.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ Smith, Harrison (October 8, 2021). "Martin J. Sherwin, whose Oppenheimer biography won a Pulitzer, dies at 84". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (2021-10-08). "Cillian Murphy Confirmed to Star As J. Robert Oppenheimer In Christopher Nolan's Next Film At Universal, Film Will Bow in July 2023". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-07-28.