The first complete biography based on primary sources of Alfred Nobel - an amazing and controversial man who dreamed of world peace, wrote love poems at night and invented dynamite, forever changing the methods of warfare. A book about the creator of the most famous and respected award on Earth - the Nobel Prize - was written by the Swedish writer and journalist Ingrid Carlberg. It traces in detail the life story of Nobel and his family, immersing us as much as possible in the era and its atmosphere, and for the first time touches in detail on previously hushed up and taboo topics: the long-term secret affair of Alfred (who was never married, but always dreamed of family and home comfort) with Austrian Sophie Hess, as well as the painful family disagreements that followed his death over the will and the establishment of the prize. The book is based on a huge amount of previously unknown sources: combining the scientific rigor of an academic level with the curiosity of an investigative journalist, Carlberg worked in the archives of five countries, studied hundreds of documents and thousands of private letters, including those devoted to the St. Petersburg period of the Nobel family (early 1840- x - early 1860s). “For a long time, the image of Alfred Nobel and the story of his life were subjected to severe retouching. Important periods remained blank spots, significant events and people were kept silent, not to mention inappropriate manifestations of feelings. Everyone who takes on such a difficult topic must formulate their attitude towards this bitter truth.” (Ingrid Carlberg)