Hausdorff’s Early Mathematical Works

From 1897 onward, Felix Hausdorff presented himself to the public in two completely different guises. Within the mathematical world he published the results of his research under his own name, whereas in broader intellectual circles he became known under the pseudonym Paul Mongré as a talented poet, stimulating essayist, and original philosophical thinker. During these years, sometimes the one side predominated, sometimes the other. Thus, from 1897 to about 1904, Mongré played the principal role, after which the mathematician Hausdorff gradually assumed center stage. This theme of Hausdorff’s dual existence is discussed in detail in Part II of our book. The present chapter provides a prelude to that theme by describing how he took his first steps into the realm of mathematical research, a path which itself was most unusual for a mathematician who would later attain international fame. Indeed, as discussed in Chapter 2, he began his career with optical investigations in astronomy, a field far removed from the mathematical topics he took up later.