Organized by the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, Ambassador Dr. Ljiljana Nikšić from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, and the Austrian-Serbian Cultural Society “Wilhelmina Mina Karadžić” from Vienna – for the first time in our history, tribute was paid to Mileva Marić Einstein in the National Assembly of Serbia on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of her birth. On this occasion, an exhibition and the promotion of the book “Heroine of Life” by Prof. Dr. Svetlana Matić were opened.
Marking this great jubilee, a bust – the work of sculptor Ljubiša Mančić, copies of Mileva and Albert’s love letters that testify to their love and joint scientific work, as well as 10 books by Svetlana Matić, were gifted to the Mathematical Grammar School.
On that occasion, the Chairman of the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, Dragan Stanojević, stated that this is the first exhibition in history held in the Serbian Parliament in honor of Mileva Marić Einstein and emphasized that the Committee and the association from Vienna made Mileva’s bust and gifted it to the Mathematical Grammar School, whose approximately 700 students have won the highest titles in knowledge. The gifts were presented to the director of the grammar school’s reading room, Marija Grujić. Thus, Mileva continues to live through the most decorated Mathematical Grammar School in the capital, and the children now have her bust and will mark Mileva Marić Einstein Day every December 19.
The author of the book “Heroine of Life,” academician Svetlana Matić, said that her intention was to somehow place Mileva Marić on a pedestal where she belongs, as well as to emphasize her merits related to all of Albert Einstein’s scientific achievements.
Mileva Marić Einstein was a co-author of Albert’s scientific papers and inventions. She was a modest, humble, and withdrawn woman, mother, wife, scientist – a genius, but she did not stand out or expose herself publicly. We should correct this injustice that was inflicted upon her. Mileva could not protect her intellectual property because she lived in a time when women could not easily reach the scientific heights that belonged to them.
As a great patriot, Mileva never forgot Serbia, her native Titel, Kać, and Novi Sad, her parents, godparents, her friends from student days, her origin, and roots. She baptized her sons in the Orthodox church in Novi Sad, celebrated the Marić family slava – Saint Stephen, and advocated for the preservation of family and traditional values which are today, more than ever before, seriously called into question.
Message from the pedestal of the bus
Engraved as a dedication on the pedestal of the memorial bust received by the Mathematical Grammar School in Belgrade is the famous quote by Mileva Marić Einstein: “A human being is able to imagine limitless happiness in their imagination and should be able to understand the infinity of space. I think that is even much easier.”
Mystery of the love letters of Mileva and Albert
In anticipation of this significant event, the state of Serbia recently purchased the letters of Mileva and Albert Einstein.
These letters are significant also due to the fact that the world public waited for more than 30 years for them to be published in the book “The Love Letters.” The box with the letters was found by their son Hans Einstein back in 1955, after Albert passed away. These letters revealed a picture of their relationship that the world did not know. But, when Hans tried to publish this correspondence, Albert’s “guardians of the legacy” obtained a court injunction against publication. This was just one of many attempts by the guardians of “Albert’s reputation” to hush up the truth. It took more than three decades of legal disputes for the public to gain insight into the truth about the shared life and scientific work of Mileva Marić and Albert.
The Government of Serbia gave the order for the purchase of the letters from budget reserves. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated the action with the Ministry of Culture and the auction house Christie’s.
On this occasion, Ivan Efimov, a seller of antique books, advisor, and specialist for important and valuable collections, first addressed the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić. Subsequently, Ambassador Dr. Ljiljana Nikšić and Ambassador Goran Aleksić in London realized the action together, as Ambassador Aleksić, authorized by the Government, participated in the auction and purchased the letters.
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Author: Marina Bulatović, Photo: Odbor za dijasporu i Srbe u regionu i Narodna skupština Srbije