``Dozent Gödel will not lecture'' (Q2856486)

The text traces the life destinies of Kurt Gödel (1906--1978) throughout the period from 1924, when he left his hometown Brünn (now Brno in Czech Republic) and entered the University of Vienna, to 1939, when he and his wife managed to escape from the Nazi Austria to settle in Princeton.NEWLINENEWLINEBy a careful study of archival materials and private letters, the author has assembled a wealth of information on Gödel's life in Vienna, the process of his habilitation, and the subsequent career as a Privatdozent. He also describes the difficult times at the University of Vienna after the rise of Nazism and the following German annexation of Austria, as well as the obstacles Gödel had to deal with when trying to obtain the permission for his travel to the United States. Gödel never returned back to Vienna, but the university continued to list him among the lecturers until 1945 with the remark that ``Dozent Gödel will not lecture''.NEWLINENEWLINETo sum up, this is an enjoyable and interesting reading about one of the great figures of 20th century mathematics.NEWLINENEWLINEFor the entire collection see [Zbl 1253.00009].