杏吧原创

鈥淓NCLOSED find a $25 draft sent to me by some nut wanting to throw money away. Buy your wife some flowers,鈥� Richard Feynman wrote to a potential publisher. He was many things 鈥� a genius, a Nobel prize-winning physicist, a raconteur. Most of all, however, he was a man who had a lot of fun. And this is vividly conveyed by this collection of letters, compiled and edited by his adopted daughter, Michelle.

An irregular correspondent, Feynman nevertheless found time to reply to countless letters from physicists, fans, schoolchildren and even people calling him a 鈥渃omplete jerk鈥�. More often than not, he agreed with them. 鈥淒ear Professor Feynman, Even though I failed your beautiful physics course last year, I named my cat after you,鈥� wrote one Jon Johnsen. 鈥淒ear Mr Johnsen,鈥� replied Feynman. 鈥淪ome measure fame by just a Nobel Prize but I have a cat named after me! Thank you for such a distinguished and subtle honor.鈥�

There is serious stuff here too: physics, nuclear weapons, religion, prejudice, teaching and more. And I found heart-rending the love letter Feynman wrote to his first wife, Arlene Greenbaum, who had died of tuberculosis while he worked on the atomic bomb. Dated more than a year after her death, he finished: 鈥淧S. Please excuse my not mailing this 鈥� but I don鈥檛 know your new address.鈥� Few books really are 鈥渁 joy to read鈥�. This one, full of charm and wisdom, truly is.