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These are the reflections of a nonagenarian polymath describing the shift from a fifty-year-long career as a world-famous chemist to a subsequent twenty-five-year immersion in science-in-fiction and science-in-theater, which is virtually unique among contemporary scientists.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Caveat Lector
• Freitod
• Die bittersüße Pille
• Heimat(losigkeit)
• "Jude"
• "Professor für Professionelle Deformation"
• "Schriftsteller"
• "Sammler"
• Bonobos
• Was wäre, wenn?
• The big drop
• Biografischer Abriss
• Vom gleichen Autor = By the same author.

Carl Djerassi seems to have had more than his fair share of lives, some lived sequentially, others simultaneously: world famous research chemist, innovative teacher, birth control guru, successful businessman, art collector, patron of artists, poet, novelist and playwright. That's nine, and I have probably left out some. Surveying Carl Djerassi's remarkable achievements, what most interests me is the shift in the focus of his career from cutting-edge scientific research to writing prose fiction and drama, relatively late in life. I can't think of another example of such a shift that is truly comparable. David Lodge, in The SciArtist *** Carl Djerassi - an Austrian-American chemist, novelist, and playwright - is best known for his contribution to the development of oral contraceptive pills. Djerassi is also the author of several novels in the "science-in-fiction" genre, including Cantor's Dilemma, in which he explores the ethics of modern scientific research through his protagonist, Dr. Cantor, as well as Chemistry in Theatre: Insufficiency, Phallacy or Both, which demonstrates the potential pedagogic value of using dialogic style and plot structure of plays with a special focus on chemistry. The SciArtist presents criticism, commentaries, and creative responses to Carl Djerassi's literary texts, taking the author's achievements far beyond "the Pill." It represents a complex conversation between the inhabitants of Djerassi's many - and very different - worlds. (Series: Transnational and Transatlantic American Studies - Vol. 11).
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Freud and I
• "Dear Mrs Roosevelt"
• the quest for Alfred E. Neuman
• "No Depression"
• birth of the pill
• like father, like son
• "What Kind of Chemist Are You?"
• interlude - the big drop
• the pill at twenty
• condoms for the teacher
• "How Do You Get a Cockroach to take the Pill?"
• Pugwash
• Perestroika 1970
• pygmy chimps
• the pill at forty - what now?
• interlude - peacockery
• Degas' horse
• a scattering of ashes
• return to Vienna - "Wien, Wien, nur du allein...."
• mind the gaps.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Father of the birth control pill, developer of antihistimines, founder of chemical companies, teacher of world-class chemists, best-selling novelist...as "The Scientist" notes, "Few can match Carl Djerassi's juggling act for success and longevity." Here is Djerassi's remarkable autobiography. Blending vivid descriptions of the lucrative world of drug development with controversial chapters on the politics of contraception and poignant chapters about his personal and professional aspirations, this book tells the story of one of the most productive and socially conscious chemists working today. "The Pill, Pygmy Chimps and Degas' Horse" tells how Djerassi, at the ripe old age of 28, within a 12 month period, working in an obscure laboratory in Mexico City, first synthesized cortisone and then the Pill. The book describes his reaction to criticism from feminists that the pill was unsafe and reflected the scientific community's sexism (why was there no male birth control pill?). Finally the book chronicles Djerassi's career at the pinnacle of success in business and academia and his metamorphosis into a socialy conscious scientist, culminating in his founding of one of the first environmentally aware pesticide companies.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

Carl Djerassi, primarily known as the inventor of the birth control pill, also developed many spectroscopic techniques for structure identification, including the earliest applications of mass spectroscopy of ORD/CD to organic chemical structure. His forceful manner and inquisitive mind are reflected in his prose to make this an enjoyable and educational work.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)