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I undertook my first translation when I was living in Vienna and was approached by a young Austrian playwright who wanted an English version of his play about violence in America. I learned Italian while in public school in Italy in the late 1950s. I became a Francophile during my high school years, and decided to learn German in college to get a better rounded feel for European cultures. Years later I was very lucky to marry a beautiful German woman I met in New York City.

 

Elisabeth Kaestner came to New York in 1968 and embarked on a career in psychology conducting research, teaching and working in private practice. In more recent years, she has enjoyed her creative endeavors as a studio jeweler. She has translated two books and several articles from her native German into English, in collaboration with her husband Paul De Angelis.




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NOBEL BOOK OF ANSWERS


Edited by Bettina Stiekel

Translated from the German by Paul De Angelis and
Elisabeth Kaestner

The Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Shimon Peres, and other Nobel Prize winners answer some of life’s most intriguing questions for young people.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has honored the world’s great geniuses in the most important fields: physicas, chemistry, medicine, literature, economics, and world peace. What if children could ask these creative thinkers about some of life’s most intriguing mysteries, such as “Why can’t I live on French frieds?” and “What is love?” The answers from the Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Shimon Peres, Desmond Tutu, and seventeen other Nobel Prize laureates are rich with surprise, humor, and of course, wisdom. Every single answer will make you think . . . and learn something new.

Bettina Stiekel was born in the north German city of Hamburg. She garaduated from Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University with an honors degree in German literature while working at Süddeutsche Zeitung magazine as an editor. It was during this period that she collected the answers from the Nobel Prize winners for this book. Now a journalist with Der Spiegel magazine, Ms. Stiekel lives in Hamburg, Germany, and has a daughter.

WHAT IS LOVE?  The Dalai Lama

WHY CAN'T I LIVE ON FRENCH FRIES?  Richard J. Roberts

WHAT IS POLITICS?  Shimon Peres

WHY IS THE SKY BLUE?  Mario J. Molina

WHY DO I FORGET SOME THINGS AND NOT OTHERS?  Erwin Neher

WHY DO WE HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL?  Kenzaburo Oe

WHY IS THERE WAR?  Desmond Tutu

WHY DO WE FEEL PAIN?  Günter Blobel

HOW DO I WIN THE NOBEL PRIZE?  Mikhail Gorbachev

WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE RICH AND OTHERS POOR?  Daniel L. McFadden

...AND ELEVEN OTHER RESPONSES

“The text, translated from the German, is chatty and informal ("Do you want to know, my friend?") . . . Most of these intellectuals do an amazing job of explaining complex ideas—from nutrition to math. With spacious type and a brief biography of each prize winner, this will be especially welcome as a discussion opener in science and social studies classrooms.” 
—Booklist