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A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines

by Janna Levin

Average based on 1 comment. Synopses & Reviews Read an Excerpt Author Q&A Customer Comments (1) ISBN13: 9781400032402 ISBN10: 1400032407 All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Kurt Godel's Incompleteness Theorems sent shivers through Vienna's intellectual circles and directly challenged Ludwig Wittgenstein's dominant philosophy. Alan Turing's mathematical genius helped him break the Nazi Enigma Code during WWII. Though they never met, their lives strangely mirrored one another: both were brilliant, and both met with tragic ends. Here, a mysterious narrator intertwines these parallel lives into a double helix of genius and anguish, wonderfully capturing not only two radiant, fragile minds but also the zeitgeist of the era.

Review:

"Intelligent...compelling.... As Levin alternates between the lives of Turing and Godel, she delivers a convincing, palpably human portrait of solitary genius." The Philadelphia Inquirer

Review:

"Her characters and their century come brilliantly...alive."The Los Angeles Times Book Review

Review:

"Like a lyrical mash-up, Levin interweaves the personal narrative style of her first book with taut prose evocative of Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams." Seed Magazine

Synopsis:

Kurt Gödels Incompleteness Theorems sent shivers through Viennas intellectual circles and directly challenged Ludwig Wittgensteins dominant philosophy. Alan Turings mathematical genius helped him break the Nazi Enigma Code during WWII. Though they never met, their lives strangely mirrored one another—both were brilliant, and both met with tragic ends. Here, a mysterious narrator intertwines these parallel lives into a double helix of genius and anguish, wonderfully capturing not only two radiant, fragile minds but also the zeitgeist of the era.

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About the Author

Born in Texas and raised in Chicago, Janna Levin is currently a professor of mathematics and physics at Barnard and Columbia universities. She holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has been Scientist-in-Residence at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art at the University of Oxford and an Advanced Fellow in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University. Levin is the author of How the Universe Got Its Spots, published in 2003 by Anchor.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

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bmacneal, May 4, 2009 (view all comments by bmacneal)
Janna Levin is a gifted writer; her prose reads like poetry. She brings life to the lives of two mathematical giants allowing us a plausible glimpse into their anguish and existential ennui.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9781400032402

Author:

Levin, Janna

Publisher:

Anchor Books

Subject:

Historical - General

Subject:

General Fiction

Subject:

Historical

Subject:

Literature-A to Z

Copyright:

2007

Edition Description:

Trade paper

Publication Date:

September 2007

Binding:

TRADE PAPER

Grade Level:

General/trade

Language:

English

Pages:

240

Dimensions:

8.02x5.19x.73 in. .59 lbs.

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A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines New Trade Paper Janna Levin

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$15.00 In Stock

Product details 240 pages Anchor Books - 2012-06-04 English 9781400032402 Reviews:

"Review" by The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Intelligent...compelling.... As Levin alternates between the lives of Turing and Godel, she delivers a convincing, palpably human portrait of solitary genius."

"Review" by The Los Angeles Times Book Review, "Her characters and their century come brilliantly...alive."

"Review" by Seed Magazine, "Like a lyrical mash-up, Levin interweaves the personal narrative style of her first book with taut prose evocative of Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams."

"Synopsis" by Random, Kurt Gödels Incompleteness Theorems sent shivers through Viennas intellectual circles and directly challenged Ludwig Wittgensteins dominant philosophy. Alan Turings mathematical genius helped him break the Nazi Enigma Code during WWII. Though they never met, their lives strangely mirrored one another—both were brilliant, and both met with tragic ends. Here, a mysterious narrator intertwines these parallel lives into a double helix of genius and anguish, wonderfully capturing not only two radiant, fragile minds but also the zeitgeist of the era.