ABSTRACT
Djuro Kurepa (1907–1993) was a Yugoslavian mathematician who rose to international prominence in the time of post-WW2 restructuring of mathematical national and international organizations. Before the war Kurepa studied at the University of Paris and College de France where his supervisor was Maurice René Frechet (1878–1973), whose international network included Wacław Sierpiński (1882–1969). This meant that Kurepa spent also some time at the University of Warsaw following his doctorate.
After the war, Kurepa remained friends both with Frechet and Sierpiński. Correspondence between Kurepa and Frechet reveals warm and long friendship as well as Kurepa’s dedication to taking active and leading part in founding and leading mathematics education in his country and abroad. He was the Vice President of ICMI for a decade starting from 1952.
This paper will concentrate most on his vision of what mathematics should be, and how important mathematicians were to new and modern societies of the post-WW2 world.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Private correspondence between Kurepa and Frechet, 1930–1973.
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