The Fractalist by Benoit Mandelbrot

The Fractalist by Benoit Mandelbrot

Author:Benoit Mandelbrot [Mandelbrot, Benoit B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-307-37860-6
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2012-10-29T16:00:00+00:00


Father Dies in 1951

Shepherding me toward Philips became the last in the long series of gifts from Father. I don’t recall either him or Mother being sick in bed or visiting a doctor. Their explanation was that less fortunate persons would have perished early in one of the catastrophes that they had managed to sail through.

But cancer struck. First a successful kidney operation brought several years of good enough health. Then lung cancer struck. Father refused a second operation, and his doctor advised heavy doses of radiation, the outcome of which would be quick—either way. We later found that every encyclopedia in the house had bookmarks under “cancer.” Besides, every day the newspaper brought a detailed update on fellow sufferer King George VI of Great Britain.

When my first paper came out, Father was so ill that I could not wait for reprints to be made, so I borrowed a library copy. It was not clear if he fully understood what I was showing him. He died a short time later.

Chronic lack of money, hopeless overwork, and Father’s exhausting business travel—and then illness—meant that my parents could rarely entertain. So we expected few mourners, but a small crowd joined Mother and her two sons at Father’s burial. Szolem had been traveling, and the ceremony was held up until he came back. Before leaving, he stopped by and ended by saying, “À bientôt donc.” With all of Szolem’s travels, we wondered if this “See you soon” was meant to be understood as “if fate allows.”

Unexpectedly, Mother insisted on a religious funeral. The rabbi in Brive during the war—who surely had sent that Angel to protect us—had conveniently moved to Paris, was found, and agreed to officiate. His eulogy was neither corny nor canned. He recalled, with surprisingly many personal details and in very warm terms, that though the war had led him to meet many parents ready for any personal sacrifice for the sake of their children, none had come close to Father.



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