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Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture
Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture | Apostolos Doxiadis
2 posts | 9 read | 9 to read
Uncle Petros is a family joke. An ageing recluse, he lives alone in a suburb of Athens, playing chess and tending to his garden. If you didn't know better, you'd surely think he was one of life's failures. But his young nephew suspects otherwise. For Uncle Petros, he discovers, was once a celebrated mathematician, brilliant and foolhardy enough to stake everything on solving a problem that had defied all attempts at proof for nearly three centuries - Goldbach's Conjecture. His quest brings him into contact with some of the century's greatest mathematicians, including the Indian prodigy Ramanujan and the young Alan Turing. But his struggle is lonely and single-minded, and by the end it has apparently destroyed his life. Until that is a final encounter with his nephew opens up to Petros, once more, the deep mysterious beauty of mathematics. Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture is an inspiring novel of intellectual adventure, proud genius, the exhilaration of pure mathematics - and the rivalry and antagonism which torment those who pursue impossible goals.
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Pedrocamacho
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This book didn‘t win the Pulitzer. However, as fictional tales of mathematicians and unsolved mathematical problems go, it is a fun read.

Reggie This sounds wonderful!!! 5y
BarbaraBB I really liked this one too! 5y
Pedrocamacho @Reggie @Barbara88 Completely agree. I really enjoyed Logicomix, the author‘s graphic novel, too so if this sounds good to you then that‘s also an option 😉 5y
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BarbaraBB
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Mehso-so

One of those books why I love the
#1001books to read before you die list. I definitely never would have read this book without it. It is the story of Unkle Petros obsession with a complex math theory, told by his nephew. I can't tell you much about the theory, but fortunately it is not necessary to be a beta to enjoy this novel.