A Convergence of Lives

The Russian mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaia (1850-1891) was the first professional female scientist to achieve international eminence, making significant and far reaching contributions to her subject. She was also an accomplished writer, a proponent of women's rights and education and a champion of political causes in Western Europe and her native Russia. The first biography in English presents a unified historical portrait of this remarkable women, offering a unique insight into the social and political climate of late nineteenth century Russia.