A man of science quite taken with culture. Georges Lemaître focuses on the work of Molière

Georges Lemaître's personality was multifaceted. We know the power of his thought in physics and mathematics which, notably, led him to posit the primitive atom theory. His former students still remember both his cordiality and benevolence. His religious faith and spirituality showed through too, but in silhouette, so keen was his concern to distinguish them from his scientific activity. But we are not usually aware that he possessed a far-ranging humanistic culture, that he appreciated literature and music and was himself a musician.

All of these dimensions nourished one another and drew on his ability to question and push back the limits of the known. The research on Molière he undertook in the 1950's will be our guideline in discovering a Georges Lemaître less known than the theorist of the celebrated “Big Bang”.