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A Mad Man Dreams Of Turing Machines

A Mad Man Dreams Of Turing Machines

by JannaLevin (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover

    $17.54

  • Used

    Paperback 2007

    $13.99

  • New

    Paperback 2007

    $16.34
Synopsis

This is a remarkable fiction debut from a young female physicist obsessed with two giants of twentieth century science: Kurt Godel, the greatest logician of the age, and Alan Turing, the breaker of the Enigma code. Janna Levin tells their parallel lives in a haunting story of tortured genius, persecution and death. Godel became delusional and paranoid to the point he starved himself to death. Turing, despite his brilliant war work, was hounded to destruction because he was homosexual. Both men devoted their lives to the highest truths of abstract nature, yet were unable to grapple with the everyday world. A MADMAN DREAMS OF TURING MACHINES is a haunting, elegaic story that flows back and forth between Turing, Godel and the author.

$17.54

Quantity

1 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 240
 Publisher: orion
Published:
ISBN 10: 0297645463
ISBN 13: 9780297645467
Book Overview: Advance praise includes: 'I love the contrast of Turing's mechanized view of the world with Godel's more open-minded 'incompleteness. A wonderfully imagined book.' -- Alan Lightman (author of EINSTEIN'S DREAMS) 'A wonderfully original book. Janna Levin's compelling narrative artfully straddles the realms of fiction and non-fiction, allowing us to viscerally experience the tortured lives of two towering intellects.' -- Brian Greee (author of THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE)

Media Reviews
intriguing...engaging...vivid. THE TIMES The ethereal brilliance of these men seeps into the very form of the novel... the emotional struggles endured by both men are here given a universal resonance. Crucial relationships are evoked with a convincing and potent tenderness: the tragedies that ensue are genuinely heartbreaking. NEW STATESMAN 'a prose sometimes poetic and surprising, always visceral, dense and interesting.' -- M John Harrison THE GUARDIAN a lively, engaging and ultimately tragic picture of two men obsessed with abstract truth yet struggling to find their place in the everyday world... Fact or fiction? Truth or lies? The book gets you thinking about the big questions but Levin's light style and tone ensure it remains accessible even to those of us who fall outside the scope of genius. TIME OUT fine passages Three stars BIG ISSUE as the ideal author for this novel about two tragic geniuses of mathematics... the perfect balance of science and insight... a fascinating book. FINANCIAL TIMES Occasionally... the descriptive passages are so beautiful that it takes your breath away. BIRMINGHAM POST eccentric, brilliant... the writing is lovely, and parts are truly funny... If you love science, you'll adore this book. A gift for all your left-brained friends. EVENING HERALD DUBLIN
Author Bio
Janna Levin is a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. She lives in New York and is the winner of the 2007 PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowship for writers and with A MADMAN DREAMS OF TURING MACHINES was a winner of the Mary Shelley Award for Outstanding Fictional Work and a runner-up for the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. Find out more at www.jannalevin.com