Pupin & literature

Literary pieces of art published by Pupin as the author, as well as monographs on our medieval monasteries, published on Pupin’s initiative and with his support, as well as reviews about them. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

“The story of Pupin’s life, retold by him in his autobiography, is exciting reading as any other scientific discovery, and it reveals one of the most charming and kindest of personalities of the XX century.”

(Lion Fels, The Washington post, 1935)     

The first edition of Pupin’s autobiography „From Immigrant to Inventor“ was published in New York in September 1923.  The following year, 1924, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography. Matica srpska was the publisher of his autobiography in Serbian translation in 1929, 1979 and then in 1997.

„I am glad to hear that you liked my translation of my autobiography.  The German translation is about to be printed in popular re-print, and the original American copy is also being published in popular re-print and is targeted at American youth.  Americans, Germans and the French do like my description of my Serbian mother and Serbian customs.  I am extremely glad about this because it is for this reason that I wrote my autobiography to use it to present the Serbian people and the Serbian mother to the world.  An extraordinary popularity of this autobiography proves that my wish has been fulfilled.  Some parts from it have been included in American textbooks.“

(From his letter to the Vicar of Idvor, 29 May 1930) 

’’The book has two interesting aspects.  Never before have I found a complete story about the Americanization of immigrants, nor have I ever before read in such plain language an account of the development of modern science, written for those who know little about it, as I found in this book.  This book, however, holds a far more important value.  The presentation of his life as a shepherd in his native place was written in an animated style, bordering with the most elated style in a literary piece of art. 

This simplicity and directness model is also reflected in the most exciting romantic moments throughout the book.“

(The Saturday Review, 1923)

’’This is a book worth reading.  It should especially be read by young students, not only will it increase their interest in science, but will enable them to get to know a unique personality always worth striving for.“

(The New Republic, 1923)