Sylvia Nasar
Encyclopedia
Sylvia Nasar is a German-born American economist and author, best known for her biography of John Forbes Nash
, A Beautiful Mind
.
father; CIA agent Ruzi Nazar (Nasar). Her family immigrated to the United States in 1951, then moved to Ankara
, Turkey in 1960. She graduated from Antioch College
in 1970, and earned a Masters' degree in Economics at New York University
in 1976. For four years, she did research with Nobel Laureate Wassily Leontief
. She is currently the Knight Chair in Business Journalism at Columbia University
. Her husband is the economist Darryl McLeod. She has three children and lives in Tarrytown, New York
.
, a biography of Nobel Prize-winning economist
and mathematician
John Forbes Nash, Jr.. The book is a detailed description of many aspects of Nash's life, and a close examination of his personality and motivations, and gives an interesting perspective on the stresses placed on personal and professional relationships by severe mental illness
.
The book won the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award
for biography, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
for biography, and was shortlisted for the Rhône-Poulenc Prize in 1999.
, Nasar's article "Manifold Destiny" contained the only interview with Grigori Perelman
, who solved the Poincaré conjecture
, but rejected the 2006 Fields Medal
, and examined Fields Medalist S.T. Yau's response to Perelman's proof. Yau threatened to file a lawsuit, but never followed through.
John Forbes Nash
John Forbes Nash, Jr. is an American mathematician whose works in game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential equations have provided insight into the forces that govern chance and events inside complex systems in daily life...
, A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind (book)
A Beautiful Mind is an unauthorized biography of Nobel Prize-winning economist and mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. by Sylvia Nasar, professor of journalism at Columbia University...
.
Early life and history
Nasar was born to a German mother and an UzbekUzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
father; CIA agent Ruzi Nazar (Nasar). Her family immigrated to the United States in 1951, then moved to Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey in 1960. She graduated from Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
in 1970, and earned a Masters' degree in Economics at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1976. For four years, she did research with Nobel Laureate Wassily Leontief
Wassily Leontief
Wassily Wassilyovich Leontief , was a Russian-American economist notable for his research on how changes in one economic sector may have an effect on other sectors. Leontief won the Nobel Committee's Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1973, and three of his doctoral students have also...
. She is currently the Knight Chair in Business Journalism at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Her husband is the economist Darryl McLeod. She has three children and lives in Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
.
A Beautiful Mind
In 1998, she published A Beautiful MindA Beautiful Mind (book)
A Beautiful Mind is an unauthorized biography of Nobel Prize-winning economist and mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. by Sylvia Nasar, professor of journalism at Columbia University...
, a biography of Nobel Prize-winning economist
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and mathematician
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
John Forbes Nash, Jr.. The book is a detailed description of many aspects of Nash's life, and a close examination of his personality and motivations, and gives an interesting perspective on the stresses placed on personal and professional relationships by severe mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
.
The book won the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
for biography, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for biography, and was shortlisted for the Rhône-Poulenc Prize in 1999.
Manifold Destiny
In the 28 August 2006 The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Nasar's article "Manifold Destiny" contained the only interview with Grigori Perelman
Grigori Perelman
Grigori Yakovlevich Perelman is a Russian mathematician who has made landmark contributions to Riemannian geometry and geometric topology.In 1992, Perelman proved the soul conjecture. In 2002, he proved Thurston's geometrization conjecture...
, who solved the Poincaré conjecture
Poincaré conjecture
In mathematics, the Poincaré conjecture is a theorem about the characterization of the three-dimensional sphere , which is the hypersphere that bounds the unit ball in four-dimensional space...
, but rejected the 2006 Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
, and examined Fields Medalist S.T. Yau's response to Perelman's proof. Yau threatened to file a lawsuit, but never followed through.
Works
- A Beautiful MindA Beautiful Mind (book)A Beautiful Mind is an unauthorized biography of Nobel Prize-winning economist and mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. by Sylvia Nasar, professor of journalism at Columbia University...
: A Biography of John Forbes Nash, Jr., Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics Simon & SchusterSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, 1994. ISBN 0684819066 - Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius Simon & SchusterSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, Sept. 13, 2011. ISBN 9780684872988