![]() ![]() He fell in love with geometry, taught by an inspiring teacher, but was disappointed by the philosophy course where the teaching was much less good. In his final years at the lycée Janson de Sailly he took courses in mathematics and philosophy. ![]() This, together with the same opinions from his teachers at the lycée, led Schwartz to decide that he would drop Latin, study both mathematics and philosophy and take the baccalaureate in both subjects. His medical expertise was in the care of children and he gave his professional opinion that Schwartz should study mathematics. His mother, who had always played an important role in encouraging her son to study, asked her brother Robert Debré for advice. He had to make a choice between spending his final school years studying philosophy and humanities to prepare for university studies in the classics or taking mathematics and philosophy. He was faced with a difficult choice, particularly after he was placed first in the national 'concours général' in Latin, and fourth in translating. At the lycée he attended in Paris, Schwartz excelled at both mathematics and the classical languages of Greek and Latin. When Laurent was young, the family would spend every weekend at Autouillet but lived in Paris during the week. It was a large house with magnificent gardens surrounded by meadows and fields in which the children could play. In September 1926, when he was still in the recovery phase of polio, his parents bought a country house at Autouillet. Although he recovered in a few months, the disease left him rather weak for the whole of his life. When he was eleven years old, Laurent contracted polio. Laurent was the oldest of his parents three sons, having brothers Daniel (born 1917) and Bertrand (born 1919). There was also leading mathematicians in the extended family Jacques Hadamard was married to a sister of Claire Debré's mother. Their family contained many brilliant people such as Claire's brother, Professor Robert Debré (1882- 1978), the founder of Unicef, and Robert Debré's son Michel Debré (1912- 1996), who became a highly successful politician being Prime Minister of France in 1959- 62. Although Anselme was brought up in the Jewish faith, he became an atheist and brought his children up as atheists. He married his first cousin, Claire Debré (1888- 1972), the daughter of a rabbi, in 1907. He was French and did not like the idea of living in Germany so, at the age of fourteen he left his home town and went to Paris where he became a surgeon. His father Anselme Schwartz (1872- 1957) was born in Balbronn, near Westhoffen, in Alsace shortly after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870- 71 which resulted in Alsace being annexed by Germany. Biography Laurent Schwartz came from a Jewish background. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |