Ettore Majorana disappeared. The theoretical physicist boarded a boat in Palermo, Sicily, on March 26, 1938, when he was 31 years old, and did not return to shore with it. But this is not Majorana’s entire story—just the end of it. In his energetic biography of Majorana, cosmologist João Magueijo admits that his subject is a popular one in Italy and sometimes makes reference to the comic books and movie starring the moody, brilliant scientist. Magueijo brings a fresh, vibrant perspective to Majorana’s life, and his biography is as much about the physicist as his physics, presenting both to a wide audience.
Ettore Majorana was one of Enrico Fermi’s “Via Panisperna Boys” in the 1920s and 1930s. Magueijo’s exuberant narrative voice draws the reader in, and he is himself as much a character in the story as anyone else. His use of the first person is refreshing, and his career...
