The Radium Woman
Encyclopedia
The Radium Woman is a biography of the scientist Marie Curie
written for children by Eleanor Doorly
. It was published in 1939 and was the first non-fiction book to be awarded the Carnegie Medal
. Woodcuts by Robert Gibbings
illustrated each chapter. Hesperides Press republished the biography in 2006.
The Radium Woman was based on Ève Curie
's biography of her mother, which was published in 1938. In the foreword the author explains:
. The book begins with the five-year-old Manya Sklodovski in her family home in Warsaw, already aware of the power of the Russian officials, and later describes the ten-year-old schoolgirl's experience of secretly learning forbidden Polish history with her class. Her surroundings and the incidents of her life are vividly described and her early brilliance unforcedly exhibited. Other chapters concern the fourteen-year-old Manya learning that a friend's brother is to be executed as a rebel, and her year's holiday after finishing High School at sixteen, time spent in the country and the mountains.
The biography continues through the early difficult days of making a living by teaching, supporting her sister who was studying medicine in Paris, starting an illegal Polish school for peasant children in the country, and an unhappy love affair. Then after a brief sojourn in Belgium come her own days of study both in Paris and in Warsaw
. "That was the part of Marie's life she loved best, her hard student days, when, working in poverty and alone, with all the power of her youth, she was most herself."
Her meeting with Pierre Curie
which led to marriage and the flowering of her career, and the great discoveries which changed the face of science and earned the Nobel Prize
, occupy the central chapters of the book. At each step the text is peppered with descriptions of her daily life and small significant incidents to make the story come alive for the young reader.
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
written for children by Eleanor Doorly
Eleanor Doorly
Victoria Eleanor Louise Doorly was an award-winning British writer of children's books. She was born in Jamaica as the daughter of William Anton Doorly and Louise Brown, but moved to England upon the premature death of her father in 1887...
. It was published in 1939 and was the first non-fiction book to be awarded the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
. Woodcuts by Robert Gibbings
Robert Gibbings
Robert Gibbings was an Irish artist and author who was most noted for his work as a wood carver and engraver and for his books on travel and natural history.-Life:...
illustrated each chapter. Hesperides Press republished the biography in 2006.
The Radium Woman was based on Ève Curie
Ève Curie
Ève Denise Curie Labouisse was a French-American writer, journalist and pianist. Ève Curie was the younger daughter of Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. Her sister was Irène Joliot-Curie and her brother-in-law Frédéric Joliot-Curie...
's biography of her mother, which was published in 1938. In the foreword the author explains:
- "The life of Madame Curie has been written by her daughter with a charm and beauty never surpassed. It is therefore with the deepest humility that I have ventured to make out of that lovely book a shorter tale for young people. People ought not to wait till they are over sixteen to make the acquaintance of the greatest and most delightful human beings and to hear of the world's greatest deeds."
Contents
The first seven chapters concern Marie Curie's early life, which was spent in a Poland unwillingly incorporated into the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. The book begins with the five-year-old Manya Sklodovski in her family home in Warsaw, already aware of the power of the Russian officials, and later describes the ten-year-old schoolgirl's experience of secretly learning forbidden Polish history with her class. Her surroundings and the incidents of her life are vividly described and her early brilliance unforcedly exhibited. Other chapters concern the fourteen-year-old Manya learning that a friend's brother is to be executed as a rebel, and her year's holiday after finishing High School at sixteen, time spent in the country and the mountains.
The biography continues through the early difficult days of making a living by teaching, supporting her sister who was studying medicine in Paris, starting an illegal Polish school for peasant children in the country, and an unhappy love affair. Then after a brief sojourn in Belgium come her own days of study both in Paris and in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. "That was the part of Marie's life she loved best, her hard student days, when, working in poverty and alone, with all the power of her youth, she was most herself."
Her meeting with Pierre Curie
Pierre Curie
Pierre Curie was a French physicist, a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity and radioactivity, and Nobel laureate. He was the son of Dr. Eugène Curie and Sophie-Claire Depouilly Curie ...
which led to marriage and the flowering of her career, and the great discoveries which changed the face of science and earned the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
, occupy the central chapters of the book. At each step the text is peppered with descriptions of her daily life and small significant incidents to make the story come alive for the young reader.