The Man Who Knew Infinity, Robert Kanigel
The Man Who Knew Infinity, Robert Kanigel
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The Man Who Knew Infinity
A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

Author: Robert Kanigel

Narrator: Humphrey Bower

Unabridged: 17 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/01/2007

Synopsis

In 1913, a young, unschooled Indian clerk named Srinivasa Ramanujan wrote a letter to G. H. Hardy, begging that pre-eminent English mathematician's opinion on several ideas he had about numbers.Hardy, realizing the letter was the work of a genius, arranged for Ramanujan to come to England. Thus began one of the most remarkable collaborations ever chronicled.With a passion for rich and evocative detail, Robert Kanigel takes us from the temples and teeming slums of Madras to the courts and chapels of Cambridge University, where the devout Hindu Ramanujan, "the Prince of Intuition," tested his brilliant theories alongside the sophisticated and eccentric Hardy, "the Apostle of Proof.”In time, Ramanujan's creative intensity took its toll: he died at the age of thirty-two but left behind a magical and inspired legacy that today is still being plumbed for its secrets.

About Robert Kanigel

Robert Kanigal, the author of nine books, has received numerous awards, including a Guggenheim fellowship, the Grady-Stack Award for science writing and, for his biography of Milman Parry, a Public Scholar grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. His book The Man Who Knew Infinity was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was the basis for the film of the same name starring Jeremy Irons and Dev Patel. For more information, visit www.robertkanigel.com.

About Humphrey Bower

Humphrey Bower, winner of multiple Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, is a writer, actor, and director. He earned his BA in English literature from Oxford University and has worked extensively in theater, and television. He was a founding member of the Melbourne collective Whistling in the Theatre and the Perth independent company Last Seen Imagining. He is the artistic director of Night Train Productions.

Reviews

Goodreads review by AMEERA

oh my heart this story about ramanujan so painful the genius man , Absolutely I loved this book and happy to know about him and difficult life he lived just to prove something he believes .......more

Goodreads review by Siddhartha

2013 December 22nd was the 125th birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan. He was a genius whose early death, owing to a multitude of factors not entirely in his control, was a tragedy too profound for tears, as someone said. That mathematicians are trying to come to terms with his papers and noteboo......more

Goodreads review by Amylee

Such as wonderful book. I came to know about Ramanujan through Prasad Kothari's lecture on Ramanujan machine. Such a wonderful mathematician. I am amazed to know that Ramanujan did not have math degree and yet come up with such wonderful math! genius from India.......more

Goodreads review by Siby

Ramanujam is considered one of the best mathematicians of all times, in the same league as a Jacobi or Euler.Even though his work is well known within the mathematical community, outside of it, he is virtually an unknown quantity. Robert Kanigel has put in a lot of effort researching material to wri......more

Goodreads review by Lubinka

One of the best-crafted biographies I've ever read, this book offered not only a deep insight into the story of Ramanujan himself, but also a social biography of colonial India and war time Europe during the early 1900s. Not too heavy on mathematics, it had just enough for the reader to acquire a ba......more

Quotes

“Arithmetic equations in an audiobook? In Humphrey Bower’s eloquent reading…spoken numbers manage not to confuse…This is a classy production. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” AudioFile

“A masterpiece.” Washington Post Book World

“One of the most romantic stories in the history of mathematics…superbly evocative…thoroughly captivating.” New York Times

“Ramanujan’s tale is the stuff of fable…an exquisite portrait…a compelling read.” Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A brilliant study of one of the most remarkable and enigmatic minds of the century.” News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)

“[A] moving and astonishing biography [and an] improbable story…Kanigel gives nontechnical readers the flavor of how Ramanujan arrived at his mathematical ideas, which are used today in cosmology and computer science.” Publishers Weekly

“This extremely well-researched and well-written biography is a ‘must’ addition to any library collection.” Library Journal

“[A] brilliantly realized biography...Kanigel’s particular interest in how primitive superstition, India’s bureaucratic mind-set, English spiritual asceticism, and a Western war combined to destroy the miracle of Ramanujan’s genius adds deeper dimensions to the already fascinating story of a difficult but astoundingly fruitful cross-cultural collaboration.” Kirkus Reviews

Awards

  • New York Times Notable Book
  • AudioFile Earphones Award
  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize
  • National Book Critics Circle Award
  • Publishers Weekly Pick
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