Rolf Hochhuth

Following hot on the heels of The Imitation Game, this is the first modern biography of Alan Turing by a member of the family—Alan’s nephew, Sir Dermot Turing. Alan Turing was an extraordinary man who crammed into a life of only 42 years the careers of mathematician, codebreaker, computer scientist, and biologist. He is widely regarded as a war hero grossly mistreated by his unappreciative country and it has become hard to disentangle the real man from the story. It is easy to cast him as a misfit, the stereotypical professor. But actually Alan Turing was never a professor, and his nickname "Prof" was given by his codebreaking friends at Bletchley Park. Now, Alan Turing’s nephew, Dermot Turing, has taken a fresh look at the influences on Alan Turing’s life and creativity, and the later creation of a legend. Dermot’s vibrant and entertaining approach to the life and work of a true genius makes this a fascinating read. This unique family perspective features insights from secret documents only recently released to the UK National Archives and other sources not tapped by previous biographers, looks into the truth behind Alan’s conviction for gross indecency, and includes previously unpublished photographs from the Turing family album.

"In June 1914, Europe was enjoying unprecedented peace and prosperity. Little over a month later, the world was at war -- and only a handful of people knew it was happening. Inspired by the medieval mystery plays, Sommer 14: A Dance of Death is an epic telling from a German and European perspective of the world's descent into war. Employing the character of Death as a guide, the play uses the classic Danse Macabre structure of a series of searing vignettes to illuminate the people and the events that led up to the outbreak of the First World War."--Page of cover.