Louis Pasteur
by Patrice Debré
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Book Summary Information
Author: Patrice DebréTranslator: Elborg Forster
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); French (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-10-25
ISBN: 0801865298
Number of pages: 600
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Book Reviews of Louis Pasteur
Book Review: Underachieves its Purpose
Summary: 1 Stars
You bought this book because you wanted some insight into the life of the "father of microbiology." You wanted to see, in particular, whether his genius was carefully nurtured or if it arose spontaneously. You will be disappointed, and the reasons may never be clear. When a book translated from a foreign language under-achieves its objectives and leaves the reader unsatisfied, it is never clear if the fault lies with the author or the translator. Elborg Forster's translation of Patrice Debré's ambitious work has two closely-related problems. The first problem which the reader encounters is the density of the language. The ponderous syntax of the French intellectual is preserved in Forster's prose, and it does not work as well in English. The second problem is that either the author or the translator is not sufficiently scientifically literate to be able to explain Pasteur's original contributions. For example, Chapter Two provides a great discussion of "isomorphism," without ever explaining what the formal mathematical term means in the context of the growth of crystals. Also, speaking of "left-handed" and "right-handed" crystals, without informing the reader of how the terms are used, renders the meaning inaccessible to even the scientifically literate reader. Considering the amount of scholarship which obviously went into the book, it would have been worth the modicum of effort necessary to welcome the reader rather than challenge him. It's a shame. Such a great man; such a weak book.
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