WHY Did Sylvia Nasar Write "A Beautiful Mind"?

Question

What triggered her interest in writing a book about John Nash? How did she even know that he existed?

I ask this question because I am aware of John Nash's work. I have not read the book or seen the movie.

I was just curious (1) how Nasar became aware of Nash (was it because he won the Nobel) and (2) why she thought a story about him would generate enough interest to sell enough books.

Answer 1

Maybe she read his thumbnail biography when he received his Nobel Prize. Maybe she or a friend of hers studied math with him at the university level. Maybe she received an editorial assignment and she needed the paycheck. Does it much matter?

Answer 2

Well, it is truly a compelling story. Until I learn to read minds, however, we'll just have to make due with some interviews that Ms. Nasar has given:

Here is one explanation I found on the web ( http://www.roycecarlton.com/speakers/nasar.html ):
"Nasar discovered the remarkable story of Nobel Laureate John Nash as an economics reporter for the New York Times. A business journalist who had been a staff writer at Fortune and a columnist at U.S. News & World Report, she was fascinated both by Nash’s intellectual achievements and his extraordinary triumph over schizophrenia. "

Here's an interview with her on NPR:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1136856

You might also try asking her directly. Apparently, Ms. Nasar is a journalism professor at Columbia University (her e-mail is on her website)
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/faculty/nasar.asp

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

you are a writer because you are a writer, it does not need an explanation why you right certain things, the work speaks for itself, its actually an insult to the purpose of the book if until now after youve read a beautiful mind that you dont know why the author wrote that.