Dava Sobel "The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science"

Biographers in Conversation · Mar 11, 2026 · 45m

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dava Sobel chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science.

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

Dava Sobel used the periodic table as the structural framework, with each chapter keyed to an element that represents a period of Curie’s life or scientific work.

Dava selected the title The Elements of Marie Curie to emphasise how the chemical elements shaped her discoveries and personal life.

Dava wrote in the first person as Marie Curie, translating her letters…