British Vision Issue 37 爱因斯坦的旷世情书

Marilyn Monroe wasn't the only woman to fall for his charms. Hundreds of letters written by Albert Einstein to his second wife and step-daughter show the scientific genius to have been a king of lothario who liked to talk about his success with women. The letters were released on the instructions of his step-daughter Margot 20 years after her death. Alex Thomson has this.

When not grappling with relativity, Albert Einstein was grappling with other people's relatives, getting to grips with no fewer than ten mistresses at various times in his two married lives.

Israel's Hebrew University has had a vast batch¹ of Einstein letters, but could only now release them under the terms of his step-daughter's will.

This material consists of two batches² of letters. One, er, 200 about 260 letters, most of whom were written to Elsa while he was away from home and the others are letters from his children Hans Albert and Eduard and from his first wife Mileva, particularly after their separation.

The letters, more than 1300, largely cover a period when Einstein lectured across Europe and the US, where he died in 1955 aged³ 76. And in them, he openly discusses various affairs with his second wife and cousin Elsa and Margot, his step daughter, often giving the impression that these women's affections were unasked for and unwanted and referring to them by a letter, rather than a name.

She followed me to, to England and ah, I didn't really want to this I didn't really want to, want her to follow me. I was, I would tell her that she should disappear next time I see her. In the same letter, he explaines to Margot that it is not Mrs. M, it is Mrs. L who is the only one I care for. At that time it was really Mrs. L who, who had a certain place in Einstein's life.

And it's pretty clear the man himself would not have wanted all this disclosed to the public gaze.

Einstein was a person who did not like the limelight. He did not like to, expose his private life to the public. His secretary and the, and the other trustee of the estate, en, first kept a lot of letters, um, hidden from public and wanted to be published only letters of scientific content. Only step by step, other letters from Einstein's estate became part of Einstein's archives.

It is also apparent there will not be another such disclosure of private correspondence.

In summary, this is a very, ah, rich body of material that I believe will motivate biographers of Einstein, maybe to write new biographies with modified emphasis in different chapters and aspects of his life. And finally, er, the other thing about this event is that this is the last time that such a large comprehensive body of material comes to light.

So now at last we begin to see what Einstein was really driving at with his famous theory. ''E equals MC squared'' was in fact designed to mean "Er indoors equals multiple conquests squared". The equation men have been balancing or not down the centuries.

Alex Thomson. We're back tomorrow noon again at 7 till then from Chrisnan and from me. That's Channel 4 News. Good evening.
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lothario
A man who seduces⁴ women.
勾引女人的男人
grapple
To struggle, in or as if in wrestling
斗争
a batch of
一批；一组；大量
limelight
A focus of public attention.
众人注目的中心

1 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

2 batches   

一批( batch的名词复数 )； 一炉； （食物、药物等的）一批生产的量； 成批作业

参考例句：

• The prisoners were led out in batches and shot. 这些囚犯被分批带出去枪毙了。
• The stainless drum may be used to make larger batches. 不锈钢转数设备可用来加工批量大的料。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 seduces   

诱奸( seduce的第三人称单数 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷

参考例句：

• The city seduces visitors with its natural beauty. 这个城市以其自然美吸引着游客。
• Dilettante: a philanderer who seduces the several arts and letters each in turn for another. 业余艺术爱好者——是轮流引诱文学与艺术的不专一者。