The following suggestions of readings lays no claim to completeness.
Nevertheless, we recommend that, in addition to the symposium
contributors' autobiographies and abstracts, you read the material that
can be linked to below. As for the books, they may be read, by prior
appointment, at the Niels Bohr Archive.
General background
The general theme of the symposium is the relationship between history
of science and drama based on events and issues from that field. The
main purpose is to encourage further debate and contact between working
dramatists and historians of science. Among particularly influential
plays in the 20th century, which have resulted from such interaction,
may be mentioned:
- Bertolt Brecht, Life of Galileo (1938/9, 1947, 1955/6)
- Friedrich Dürrenmatt, The Physicists (1962)
- Heinar Kipphardt, In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer (1964)
These plays have been published in book form in several countries and in
several
languages.
The point of departure for the symposium is also available in book form:
- Michael Frayn, Copenhagen (London: Methuen, 1998 and 2000)
The published versions also contain a
Postscript, in which Frayn
presents the documentary background for his work and which is
particularly relevant from the point of view of the symposium.
First day
The best introduction to the first day may be the recent publication in
German of Frayn's play:
- Michael Frayn, Kopenhagen: Stück in zwei Akten, mit zehn
wissenschaftsgeschichtlichen Kommentaren (Göttingen: Wallstein, 2001)
In addition to the translation of Frayn's postscript, this publication
contains essays in which several historians of science describe their
reaction to the play. Among the historians speaking on the symposium's
first day will be the editor of these essays (Dörries), as well as six
historians who have contributed additional essays to the book (Aaserud,
Carson, Cassidy, Powers, Walker, Hentschel). Other relevant writings by
the symposium contributors are referred to in their respective
autobiographies.
With regard to session 1, may also be mentioned
Cassidy's
contribution
to a 2000 symposium in New
York organised in connection with the opening of Copenhagen on Broadway.
As for session 2 Golinski's essay
Tall Tales and Short Stories:
Narrating the History of Science
is particularly relevant, as
is Beller's unpublished
piece, Another Round, providing an alternative
ending to Copenhagen in which the author seeks to express her opinion
of the play in dramatic form.
Second day
In session 1, historian Jim Bennett relates his experience of
having his
work being transformed into a play, whereas playwright Hugh Whitemore
reflects on the opposite experience of how he transformed a work of
history into drama. The publications relating to Bennett's talk are:
- Jim Bennett, Church, State and Astronomy in Ireland: 200 Years
of Armagh
Observatory (Belfast: The Armagh Observatory, 1990)
- Daragh Carville, Observatory (London: Methuen, 1999)
The relevant publications for Hugh Whitemore's presentation are:
- Andrew Hodges, Alan Turing: The Enigma of Intelligence (London:
Counterpoint, 1985))
- Hugh Whitemore, Breaking the Code (London: Samuel French, 1987)
A BBC production of Whitemore's play has recently been issued on video;
it can be seen at the Niels Bohr Archive. As regards session 2, Harry
Lustig and Brian Schwartz organised the New York symposium in
connection with the Broadway opening of Copenhagen. Their
description
of that symposium
is available
on the web.
Finn Aaserud, September 2001
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