Radium: roman jednog elementa

Rudolf Brunngraber (1901–1960), an Austrian writer and journalist, published the novel Radium – Roman eines Elements in 1936. The Croatian translation appeared in 1940 by Ante Velzek in Zagreb (ed. Svjetski pisci), and later also in the Binoza edition.

The work is a hybrid form – a combination of biographical novel, scientific popularization and social criticism. It focuses on Marie and Pierre Curie and their revolutionary discovery of radium in 1898. Brunngraber skillfully combines historical facts with fiction, depicting the genius, poverty and perseverance of the Curie couple in their Parisian laboratory, as well as the enormous medical potential of the new element in treating cancer.

At the same time, the novel also shows the dark side: rapid commercialization, financial speculation, the creation of a monopoly over radium and negligence towards the dangers of radioactivity. The author follows the fates of ordinary people – mine workers, nurses and patients – who suffer from radiation, and criticizes the capitalist exploitation of scientific discoveries.

The style is dynamic, documentary and accessible, typical of Brunngraber, who preferred the form of a "single-subject novel" (similar to his works on coffee, sugar or opium). The book was very popular in its time because it brought the latest scientific achievements closer to readers in an exciting way, mixing biography, adventure and social criticism.

In the Croatian edition from 1940, the novel was well received among an educated audience, especially at a time when interest in science and medicine was great. Today it is considered an early example of a popular science novel (science faction) and a valuable testimony to the beginnings of the atomic era.