Introduction
Sofya Vasilevna Kovalevskaya ( Sonja
Kovalevsky ) was born in Moscow in 1850 and died in Stockholm in
1891. Between these years, in the then changing and turbulent
circumstances for Europe, lies the all too brief life of this
remarkable woman. This life was lived out within the great
European centers of power and learning in Russia, France, Germany,
Switzerland, England and Sweden. To this day, now 150 years after
her birth, her influence for and contribution to mathematics,
science, literature, women's rights and democratic government are
recorded and reviewed, not only in Europe but now in countries far
removed in time and distance from the lands of her birth and
being.
This volume, dedicated to her memory and to her achievements,
records the Proceedings of the Marcus Wallenberg Symposium held,
in memory of Sonja Kovalevsky, at Stockholm University from 18 to
22 June 2000. The symposium was held at the Department of
Mathematics with its excellent library and lecture halls providing
favourable working conditions.
Within these pages are contained a curriculum vitae for
Sonja Kovalevsky, a list of all her scientific publications,
together with a copy of the moving and elegant obituary notice
written by her friend and protector Gösta Mittag-Leffler. These
papers are followed by a leading article entitled Sonja
Kovalevsky: Her life and professorship in Stockholm , written
especially for this volume by Jan-Erik Björk in preparation for
his major address to the Symposium.
The scientific papers contributed to the Symposium include short
articles on two of her mathematical contributions: the first based
on her doctoral thesis (1874); the second based on the outstanding
and significant publication which led to her of the award of the
Bordin Prize (1888).
The main body of the scientific work of the Symposium is to be
seen in the 23 contributions in pure and applied mathematics, and
in mathematical physics resulting from the lectures delivered
within the program of the Symposium.
Finally, there are recorded the lists of the Symposium
participants together with titles of their lectures.
The Organizing Committee of the Marcus Wallenberg Symposium
(P.Kurasov and N.Elander) takes this opportunity to thank the many
organizations for financial and material support without whose aid
it would not have been possible to mount the Symposium:
The Marcus Wallenberg Foundation
together with
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Swedish Natural Science Research Council
The Wenner-Gren Foundation
Stockholm University
The Department of Mathematics, Stockholm University
The Editorial Board for these Proceedings (S.Albeverio, N.Elander,
W.N.Everitt and P.Kurasov) is grateful to all the authors who
submitted their work for publication, and to all the referees
called upon to assess these publications in support of the
exacting standards applied by the Board for acceptance of
manuscripts as contributions to this volume.
All the participants will recall the presence of the bust of Sonja
Kovalevsky which graced the main lecture theater throughout the
meeting, and now remembered in the leading photograph of this
volume.
Towards the end of the Symposium a short but moving pilgrimage was
made to the grave of Sonja Kovalevsky, in the North Cemetery of
Stockholm; this ceremony took place during wight nights when
Stockholm was blooming and is recorded in the photograph of the
grave placed within this volume.
Finally the Editors thank the publishers Birkhäuser Verlag,
Basel, for their help and expert support in the closing stages of
the preparation of the contents of this volume.
Lund, December, 2001.
The Editors