A blind mathematician (literally) and an American regionalism writer share a birthday. A poem from the birthday poet about a still Sunday morning.
The date is September 3rd, Tuesday, and today I’m traveling from Tokyo, Japan to Jakarta, Indonesia.
Today is the birthday of Lev Semenovich Pontryagin, Soviet mathematician.
In 1922 or ‘23 at age 14, an explosion of a small cooking stove left Lev Pontryagin blind. His parents were not well-off by any means, but his mother, Tat’yana Andreevna, insisted Lev continue his studies. She dedicated herself to helping Pontryagin adjust to his new situation as blind. In particular, she would read to him from his textbooks and write down his answers to equations on homework. She grew to know the course materials so well she would sometimes correct his work, which naturally had mistakes, as he honed his abstract thinking skills.
Eventually, Pontryagin left home for college. Pontryagin did not take notes in his classes since of course he could not see. However, his professors soon noticed he had an outstanding mind. Pontryagin was able to memorize formulas and perform equations in his head, impressing professors and students alike. He graduated from the University of Moscow in 1929 at the age of 20 and immediately was offered a position at the University.
As a professor and researcher, Pontryagin made significant contributions to mathematics, specifically in algebraic and differential topology. He enjoyed a long career at Steklov Institute in Russia and was a member of the Academy of Sciences (in France) as well as the International Mathematical Union.
And today is the birthday of Sarah Orne Jewett, American writer.
Jewett was known during her lifetime primarily for her short stories. She was born in 1849 in South Berwick, ME, a small town in southern Maine, a short distance from Portsmouth.
As a child she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Her father, the town’s doctor, prescribed walks outdoors as treatment, and so Jewett developed a deep love of nature and her small town.
The Country of the Pointed Firs remains Jewett’s most significant work. It is a novella primarily exaulted for its description of local country life rather than its quiet plot. Similar to her other short stories and writings, The Country of the Pointed Firs was first published in serialized form in The Atlantic Monthly in 1896, when Jewett was 46.
Jewett, like fellow New England writer Katherine Lee Bates, engaged in what was known as a “Boston marriage.” She never married, but lived with close friend and widow Annie Fields from 1881 until Jewett’s death in 1909.
Despite being known as a writer of American literary regionalism (writing and celebrating small towns, rather than big-city life), Jewett was well traveled. She enjoyed an extended trip to Europe with her companion Annie Fields, and the pair frequented nearby Boston, where they hosted gatherings of popular and indie American and European writers.
At Home from Church
Sarah Orne Jewett