Writer Slavenka Drakulić has recently written a new novel, entitled Mileva Ajnštajn: A Theory of Sadness and published by Laguna. In it, this journalist presents to the readers a story of the life of Mileva Marić after her marriage with Albert Einstein fell apart.
On this occasion, one of the most translated female Croatian authors reveals in her interview with Kurir how she came up with the idea for this interesting book, and talks about why we as a society have lost empathy, as well as why this Serbian female scientist is the closest to her heart of all the literary protagonists featured in her works.
How did you start to write a novel about Mileva?
“I don’t know how exactly. When I was in the US, I realized that people know next to nothing about her. She went to university with Albert and helped him a lot with mathematics. They were interesting as a couple, as they were both creative, so I was interested to see what the power relation between them was like.”
Did you read all the books published about Mileva in this country?
“You must always read other authors too when you’re writing about a historical figure. There are facts that you need to adhere to, but in a work of fiction a situation can be clarified by some additional psychological traits. That said, I don’t really mull over what has been written. People mostly write biographies, and there are no more than ten or so fiction novels about Mileva”
You have divided your novel into five chapters, and the novel starts with the famous letter in which Albert addresses her as his maid.
“I thought there was a logic to it. It came naturally that Mileva would be reading the letter in the kitchen, and the novel ends by her decision to put her younger son away in a lunatic asylum. He had tried to kill her and became a terrible burden to her.”
When did Mileva and Albert's love come to an end?
“The greatest shock for her was that she left her first baby, a girl born before the marriage, with her parents. It’s less important whether the child was later adopted or died. That was the beginning of Mileva’s mental downward spiral. Their marriage broke down when love became a habit. After she gave birth to their first boy, she fully devoted herself to him. And it was only then that Albert got a job and started to make good in life. He began collaborating with some new young physicists.”
You even defend him at one point?
“He was no monster, but a man of his time. Mileva was a woman who never allowed anyone to humiliate her. With two children and without a job, she got on a train and left. But she didn’t cut ties with him. Then again, Albert’s second wife Elsa favoured her own daughters. Albert sent money for the children to Mileva, and even gave her his Nobel Prize cash award to support them. However, he didn’t pay off his debt to her by doing this. Mileva still made a modest living from renting out flats and giving piano lessons. She was taking care of the children, and blamed herself for fighting more for the sick child than for the healthy one.”
To what extent did Mileva help her husband become one of the world’s greatest scientists?
“A debate is only now taking place about that. Physicists think that she worked with him but that she doesn’t merit being a co-author. However, the original 1905 paper from Annals of Physics is missing, although a Russian scientist saw that it was co-authored. I think that, as a physicist, she didn’t have any more papers after that. She never graduated, and back in the day, in order to publish anything, you needed to have a degree. Marie Curie was her role model. We cannot know everything, so the answer to your question will remain open.”
Who was the key figure in Mileva Marić’s life?
“Her father. If he hadn’t supported her, she never would have left Novi Sad. He did his best to enable her to study physics, move to Zagreb, and then enrol in the Zurich Polytechnic. He provided his other children with the same things, and he knew that Mileva had a special talent for physics. I have realized that fathers are important figures in the lives of my other female protagonists as well, such as Dora Maar and Frida Kahlo.”
Are you writing about another woman?
“I am done with women.”
Which one is dearest to your heart?
“It’s hard for me to pick one. Frida Kahlo wasn’t a loser but a winner. Everyone knows of her, while her husband Diego Rivera is only known to experts today. Dora Maar achieved some success, and then gave up on herself because of Picasso. I emotionally identify with Mileva the most because hers was the most tragic fate. She suffered through a lot with her child. However, I identify with Frida as well because of her illness. She created art despite the pain. It’s hard to pick only one.”
Do you think that your new novel will be adapted for the small screen?
“I haven’t received an offer, but it’s a rewarding topic. Einstein’s life is well-known, and I’m not sure if people abroad would turn the spotlight to Mileva. Elsa is predominantly remembered as the only woman in Albert Einstein’s life. Mileva has been forgotten. But a Serbian production could make it happen. Serbs make terrific TV series and have fantastic actors.”
You did not want to come to Belgrade for many years. Who were you angry with?
“I was angry with my friends who had become nationalists. I’ve come to Belgrade several times, and I see all my friends. The ties are maintained, but it’s not like before, in socialist times. I used to contribute to the Duga, NIN, and Vreme magazines. I’d come once a month. It took time for these severed ties to be rebuilt. You know, I am not a nationalist, and I have been punished for that in my country.”
And you do not feel nostalgia for Yugoslavia either?
“I don’t. You have a feeling of nostalgia for your childhood. When it comes to those who feel nostalgia for Yugoslavia, it has nothing to do with either the politics or with Yugoslavia, but with their youth. We used to have secure jobs, and there was no sense of rush like today. I myself didn’t do badly in Yugoslavia. I was criticised because of feminism. We organized the famous 1978 conference in Belgrade.”
Your strength as an author lies in your exceptional empathy. Why have we lost it?
“We have long since lost empathy, and that is a trait that is learnt from a very young age. Research confirms that it is immediately apparent that children who torture animals have pathological personalities. Empathy comes from one’s home. However, in a world in which money is the supreme value there can be no empathy. Here, what is taught and developed is competitiveness and individualization in their extreme forms. Turning a quick profit makes someone a media star, and these people are criminals. We, as a society and as individuals, are responsible for that, as are the media. And then, what occurs is what’s happened in Belgrade.”
You live in Sweden. Can something similar happen there?
“That’s impossible. I can’t imagine it. They are very rational. Weapons are readily available here and play a big role in our society. The culture of violence is much stronger than in Sweden. On the other hand, we must bear in mind that they haven’t fought in a war for 200 years.”
(Kurir.rs / Lj.R.)
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