American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Korean)
아메리칸 프로메테우스 (특별판) : 로버트 오펜하이머 평전
Publication Date: June 12, 2023
Pages, Dimensions: 1056 pages | 128 x 188 x 38 mm
ISBN13: 9791192908236
The Cold War has ended worldwide. However, nuclear confrontation on the Korean Peninsula remains a terrifying reality. Oppenheimer clearly understood from the beginning that nuclear proliferation was inevitable. The plan for international control of nuclear weapons that Oppenheimer proposed in 1946 is still valid today. Oppenheimer’s life and concerns will have practical value to Korean readers more than anyone else. - Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin, from the preface to the Korean edition
Oppenheimer’s suffering came because he did not get swept up in the trend and did not stop thinking according to the clear logic that he established as a physicist. We too must maintain that attitude in order to solve the problems that humanity currently faces. I hope that this film will become an opportunity to widely publicize the concerns of Oppenheimer, known only as the “father of the atomic bomb.” - Choi Hyeong-seop, from the translator’s note for the special edition
"Tenet", "Dunkirk", "Interstellar", "Memento"... ... Master director Christopher Nolan, who has presented works that keep you on the edge of your seat beyond the screen, is scheduled to release his latest work "Oppenheimer" this summer. In a behind-the-scenes video released on June 1 ahead of its North American release (July 21, 2023), "Oppenheimer", which he described as "the biggest story imaginable," is creating a buzz with its $100 million production budget, its star cast including lead actor Cillian Murphy and supporting actor "Iron Man" Robert Downey Jr., its IMAX format-exclusive film, and the fact that the nuclear explosion scene was filmed without relying on CGI. According to a December 18, 2022 Variety article that came out shortly after the first trailer was released, the film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. It literally covers the most dramatic moments, events, and people in modern history.
This time, the American Prometheus (special edition) published by Science Books is a special edition that condenses the pages, lightens the weight, and lowers the list price to introduce the definitive edition of Oppenheimer's biography, American Prometheus, to our readers ahead of the film's release. It will be first unveiled in the form of a pre-sale at the Minumsa Publishing Group's booth participating in the Seoul International Book Fair, which will be held from June 14, 2023.
American Prometheus Revived by the Movie Oppenheimer
Why We Should Reread American Prometheus in the Age of Nuclear Crisis
We have had the bomb in our hearts since 1945. At first, it was a weapon, then a diplomatic tool. Now it is our economy. How could such a powerful object not affect our identity after 40 years? The giant golem we created to fight our enemies has become our culture. The logic of the bomb, the belief in it, the vision it creates is the culture of the bomb. - EL Doctoro
The year 2010, when American Prometheus was first introduced in Korea, was also the time when the 17th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting called for the resumption of the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program. The heightened international tension surrounding North Korea's nuclear facilities was already predicted in the last century when nuclear weapons were first created. And in our country, where that sharp confrontation is currently ongoing, the person who should pay attention is none other than Robert Oppenheimer. Nuclear weapons, which were born during the race to win World War II, literally became bombs immediately after their birth due to their enormous destructive power and potential for abuse. And they also brought about dramatic moments in the life of Oppenheimer, the general director of the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb and the father of the atomic bomb. This book, written by two authors, journalist Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, a professor of English literature and American history, after 25 years of collecting materials such as field trips, interviews, and FBI documents, won the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Award for Biography upon its first publication in 2005 and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 2006.
One of the co-authors, Professor Martin Sherwin, passed away from lung cancer in 2021, when COVID-19 was in full swing, while carrying out enthusiastic activities such as producing and writing historical documentaries. Professor Choi Hyeong-seop of Seoul National University of Science and Technology recalls an anecdote with Professor Sherwin in the translator’s note of the 2023 edition of American Prometheus, saying that if Professor Sherwin had seen the film, he would have been enthusiastic about the way the film depicted complex history. Now, it will be up to the readers to compare this book, based on extensive historical materials, with the film.
☞ 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award
☞ 2006 Pulitzer Prize
☞ 2010 APCTP Science Book of the Year
☞ 2011 Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity Outstanding Science Book
