MAX PERUTZ had to borrow money to clothe his family for the 1962 Nobel prize ceremony, in which his work on haemoglobin was recognised. A perpetual worrier over health, he nevertheless indulged lifelong passions for climbing and skiing. This affectionate portrait contains many such paradoxes. Self-belief and determination brought him the highest scientific and public honours, and while his efforts to make the Vatican change course on contraception appear eccentric, they reflect the unswerving humanitarian instincts of a gentle rationalist.
Max Perutz and the Secret of Life
Chatto and Windus