Stephen Hawking’s Father Diary Unveiled Pre‑Bio
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- Frank Hawking wrote diary entries lamenting that his son “hangs round the house with little initiative and does not study much,” revealing parental concern during Stephen’s student years.
- Graham Farmelo will publish the first definitive, estate‑authorized biography of Stephen Hawking in September, announced by publisher John Murray.
- Mary Hawking kept the Hawking family papers—including Frank’s diaries and Isobel’s letters—at her home, and has now granted Graham Farmelo unprecedented access to these primary sources.
- Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963 at age 21, was expected to die within two years, yet lived until 2018, authoring A Brief History of Time (sold >13 million copies).
Why it matters: Scholars and fans gain unprecedented primary source material on Hawking’s early life, while the estate benefits from a high‑profile biography that could boost book sales and reshape his public narrative.
