ARILD STUBHAUG Niels Henrik Abel and his Times
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg GmbH
Arild Stubhaug NIELS HENRIK ABEL and his Times Called Too Soon by Flames Afar Translated from the Norwegian by Richard H. Daly With 51 Figures, 13in Colour Springer
ARILD STUBHAUG Grimsrudveien 88 3442 Hyggen, Norway Translator: RICHARD H. DALY Sternsrudlia 1 1294 Oslo, Norway Original publication (in Norwegian): Et foranskutt lyn: Niels Henrik Abel og hans tid, second edition 1996 1996 H. Aschehoug & Co. (W. Nygaard), Oslo Publisher's note: Springer-Verlag thanks Elisabet Middelthon of MUNIN, Oslo, for the excellent collaboration and financial support for the translation, which made the publication of this book possible. Thanks go also to Cathrine Janicke, Asta Brenna and Harald Engelstad of H. Aschehoug & Co., Oslo. The background illustration on the endpapers shows a part of the wallpaper pattern from Abel's death room at Froland (modified after a photo by Dannevig, Arendal). Moreover, the aforementioned photo is completely reproduced and printed as a color figure (Fig. 51) on p. 568 with a more detailed description. ISBN 978-3-642-086 I0-6 ISBN 978-3-662-04076-8 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-04076-8 Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for. Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Stubhaug, Arild: Niels Henrik Abel and his times: called too soon by flames afar / Arild Stubhaug. Trans\. by R. Daly. - Berlin; Heidelberg; New York; Barcelon a; Hongkong; London; Mailand ; Paris; Singapur; Tokio: Springer, 2000 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustration s, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is perm itted only unde r the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and perm ission for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag. Violations are liable for pros ecution under the Germ an Copyright Law. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2000 Originally published by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York in 2000. Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover Ist edition 2000 The use of general descriptive name s, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover Design: Erich Kirchner, Heidelberg. Germany Production: PRO EDIT GmbH, D-69126Heidelberg, Germany Printed on acid-free paper SPIN: 10699500 46/3143Re - 5 43 2 10
Contents PART I Introduction.................................... 1.. 1. A Short Life.................................. 3 PART II Family Background................................ 33 2. The Abel Family Tree............................ 35 3. Father's Period of Schooling and Study in Denmark.......... 45 4. Vicar and Curate............................... 55 5. Abel and the Simonsen Family in Riser................. 59 PART III Childhood at Gjerstad 6. Priest at Pinney, Church Affairs in the Kristiansand Diocese..... 69 7. Niels Henrik's First Years 79 8. Childhood Learning, Childhood Faith.................. 85 9. Everyday Life in the Shadow of War................... 89 10. Ground Swells from Offshore....................... 97 11. New Sounds in City and Hamlet 103 12. Home and Abroad, Crises and Turning Points............. 109 13. S. G. Abel Steps into Politics........................ 115 14. The Times During Which Niels Henrik Grew Up............ 125 15. Niels Henrik Leaves Home......................... 131
VI Contents PART IV Disciple in Christiania, 1815-1821 139 16. Meeting A New Era........... 141 17. School Life, Money Worries, and the Joys of the Theatre.. 147 18. Everyday Life in Christiania. S. G. Abel Enters the Public Spotlight. 161 19. Confirmation and Direction in Life 171 20. The Fateful Year, 1818... 181 21. Christiania, Fall, 1818 199 22. Into Mathematical History..... 201 23. School Days and Many More Stories 213 24. To the Examen artium and Further Studies 223 25. Student and Homeless............. 239 PART V Student Life, 1821-1825.............................. 249 26. Free Room and Board at "Regentsen" 251 27. Examen Philosophicum: The Course ofstudies and the Teachers. 255 28. Student Life and Circle of Friends. 261 29. Spring and Early Summer, 1822... 271 30. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.. 277 31. Copenhagen - Travel, Summer, 1823 287 32. The Quintic Equation and Future Plans 301 33. Betrothal and Preparations........ 311 PART VI Europe-Travel 321 34. Through Copenhagen and Hamburg to Berlin...... 323 35. Berlin, October 1825 to March 1826...... 329 36. Via Leipzig to Freiberg... 351 37. Through Dresden to Prague... 355 38. To Vienna............... 369 39. From Vienna to Graz and Trieste 379 40. Onward to Venice, via Bologna to Bolzano 385 41. In the Dolomites, over to Innsbruck and on to Mount Rigi.... 391 42. Paris, July roth to December zoth, 1826............. 395 43. The Homeward Journey via Berlin and Copenhagen.......... 421
Contents VII PART VII The Last Year in Norway 44. Back Home......... 45. Christiania, Autumn, 1827 46. From January to July, 1828 47. The Final Summer..... 48. The Final Round, Autumn, 1828. 429 431 44 1 451 459 465 PART VIII 49. Deathbed................................... 481 ApPENDIX 1. Chronology........................... 2. Commentaries and Supplementary Readings. 3. Chronological Bibliography of Abel's Published Works. 4. Annotated Bibliography. 497 501 545 553 INDEX OF NAMES 569
List ofillustrations Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 a.b Figure 6 a.b Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 a.b Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14 a-d Figure 15 a-d Figure 16 Figure 17 Figure 18 Figure 19 a.b Figure 20 Figure 21 Figure 22 Figure 23 Figure 24 a-c Figure 25 a-d Figure 26 Niels Henrik Abel sculpture by Gustav Leerum Riser, 1817................. Gjerstad vicarage, drawn by P. M. Tuxen. Gjerstad church, drawn by John Aas. Portraits of Hans Mathias Abel and Elisabeth Knuth Abel Seren Georg Abel's teaching book and silhouettes. Map of southern Norway in the 1820S. Christiania at Bjervika. Corner of Dronningensgate and Tollbodgaten.. Cathedral School auditorium used by Parliament and silhouette of Seren Georg Abel......... Keilhau's watercolour of Iotunheimen mountains Old taproom on Maridalsveien. Map of Christiania and district, by C. B. Roosen, 1830.. Portraits of Holmboe, Keilhau, Maschmann and M011er Portraits of Boeck, Hansteen, Rasmussen and Treschow Market days in Christiania.............. Drammensveien near the Arbiens estate, 1820S. Professor Michael Skjelderup's estate on Nedre Skillebeek, 1827.................. University Mariboe Building, the lemniscate, and Abel's elliptical integral calculations Page from Abel's workbooks. Portrait of Charite Borch. Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin, 1825. Dresden's Bruhl's Terrace, by J. C. Dahl Portraits of August Leopold Crelle, Nils Otto Tank and Jacob Steiner. Portraits ofc. F. Degen, J. J. von Littrow, C. F. Gauss, and H. C. Schumacher... The "Neue Aula" in Vienna................ 1 33 67 133 134 135 136 139 153 154 155 157 205 206 207 208 281 282 283 285 321 339 340 341 342
x List ofillustrations Figure 27 L'Ecole Polytechnique in Paris.... Figure 28 a-c Portraits of Iohan Gerbitz, Alexis Bouvard and J. N-P. Hachette 362 Figure 29 a-d Portraits of A. 1. Cauchy, F.-V. Raspail, G. P. 1. Dirichlet and E. Galois................... 363 Figure 30 University of Berlin, 1820........... 364 Figure 31 "Blick vom Kreuzberg auf Berlin"..... 405 Figure 32 The view from Mount Rigi, 1830...... 406 Figure 33 Map of Europe, 1825......... 407 Figure 34 View of Paris, by Seyfert, 1818........ 408 Figure 35 Arendal, sketched in 1848............ 429 Figure 36 Christiania as seen from Ekeberg, 1835........ 435 Figure 37 Portrait of Christine Kemp, 1835...... 436 Figure 38 Gerbitz' portrait of Abel, painted in 1826.... 437 Figure 39 Froland Ironworks, 1831.. 438 Figure 40 Rose from the wallpaper in the "buck room", at the family home of Sivert Smith, Froland Ironworks.. 479 Figure 41 Bust of Abel by Brynjulf Bergslien............... 494 Figure 42a,b The Vigeland monument to Abel, and an Abel portrait by Nils Gude after the Gerbitz original............ 503 Figure 43 Page from Abel's Paris notebooks, showing the lemniscate. Figure 44 Partial page from Abel's Paris notebooks Figure 45 Engraving of Dokken, Christianshavn, Denmark. Figure 46a/c The spiral with which Abel concluded his works, Abel's seal with the profile ofathena, and "NHA 1810" scratched on a window at Gjerstad Figure 47 Title page of Abel's Collected Works, Volume I.. Figure 48a,b. 504. 505. 506. 507. 508 Abel's gravestone, and the memorial obelisk at Froland Works, dating from 1905 509 Figure 49 a-c Bas-reliefAbel profile, I. Vik's winning model for the Abel memorial sculpture, 1902, and the Brynjulf Bergslien bust at Gjerstad Parish Figure 50 a-c Abel on Norway's 500 kroner banknote (1948-91), Abel postage stamp, and Rue Abel, Paris.... Figure 51 Wallpaper from Abel's death room at Froland.. 510 511. 568