De wilde getallen

by Philibert Schogt

Isaac Swift, een vijfendertigjarige wiskundige, is in jubelstemming. Na jarenlang vruchteloos ploeteren in de marge heeft hij de heilige graal in zijn handen: de oplossing van een beroemd en berucht wiskundig probleem, waar zijn collega's al eeuwen hun tanden op stuk hebben gebeten.

In een delirische roes die enkele weken heeft aangehouden is het hem gelukt de top van het wiskundig hooggebergte te bereiken: in een stralend moment van inzicht heeft zich een schitterend panorama voor hem ontvouwd. Er is slechts één wolkje aan de hemel: een oudere man, die college bij hem volgt, beschuldigt Isaac van plagiaat.

Genres: Fiction, Mathematics, Literature, Novels

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isaac Swift is a mathematics professor that has come up with no meaningful proofs during his tenure. He's feeling lost. His girlfriend tries to lure him away from constant sessions of math but eventually gives up and leaves him. Isaac is depressed, which sinks him further in to long sessions of math in the middle of the night. Issac finds inspiration in an unlikely source and thinks he has come up with a solution for the wild numbers. He is quickly accused of plagiarism but he doesn't think it's true.

Isaac is a pretty depressing guy to read about. We learn how he got in to math as a way to escape as a kid and that what Isaac really needs is some counselling. And that's pretty much the theme of this book: Isaac needs help. He never gets help though, and has to fail to success (sort of?). It's not the funnest read in the world because of how depressing it is but it's ok.

[Enid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read. I have had this sitting around on my TBR stack for a few years, and since it is only about 150 pages, it seemed like a good book to take on a trip. The blurb on the back is misleading, as most of the book takes place before Isaac's problems "begin to multiply exponentially" after being accused of plagiarism by a deranged student, but I enjoyed the parts detailing his train of thought, and how unlikely things lead to new insights.

[Rebeka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Δεν υπάρχει πιο τέλειο βιβλίο από αυτό!!! Το συστήνω ανεπιφύλακτα σε όλους ... όσοι αγαπάνε τα μαθηματικά είμαι σίγουρη ότι θα το λατρέψουν, οι υπόλοιποι θα περάσουν μερικές ευχάριστες ώρες διαβάζοντας το και θα τους λείψει πάρα πολύ μόλις το τελειώσουν. Διαβάστε το και θα με θυμηθείτε!!!

[thao · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t as dry as I expected. It’s actually quite fictional with just a slight touch of maths. I was pretty surprised by the twist near the end. Anyway, I really admire those who dedicate their whole lives to researching and contributing to mathematics. Respect! It reminds me of my lecturers.

[Becky Meitzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read that made me think how might the mind of a genius such as Einstein might process and think about things!

[Oliver Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the few synopses I read before purchasing this, I expected a book delving into the life of a mediocre Mathematician, who was struggling with disbelief encircling his miraculous, and out of the blue proof. What I got out of this book was, much more than just that. This story explores the life of Isaac Swift, who, based on his lack of success and below average academic performance (compared to that of his colleagues) might be judged as amateur, but in reality, he is completely absorbed by, some may even say addicted to, the world of Mathematics. It is at times heartbreaking to read about a man who has got nothing, from a deep-seated passion for Mathematics. This novel not only inspects the life of a pure Mathematician, it opens the door into the, dark, confused mind of Isaac Swift, shedding light on his innermost thoughts. The characters in this book are interesting, well-developed and encapsulating to follow. Each character represents different approaches adopted when faced with Mathematics, it is from this variety that we get a deep insight into what Mathematics means to people, about the implications it can have on people's lives. All-in-all I thoroughly enjoyed this read, I would recommend it to anyone, in any place, at any time, not just to people who derive pleasure from Mathematics (although after this book you may come to understand how exciting it really is).

Don't trust my opinion. I still don't.

[Sean Hoade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiction is at its best when we can experience what life is like to another person. Schogt does this masterfully in "The Wild Numbers," putting us inside the head of a mathematician as he tries to create a beautiful proof. But this book is also suspenseful and emotionally real. A brilliant tour de force.

[Will]

Short novel about mathematician.

[ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I'm not really into mathematics, but I enjoyed the book.
It was a nice first book from Schogt, I just don't know how many more math books I shall read in the future…

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, short novella about the obsessive nature of genius.

[Michele Angiolillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fa riscoprire la passione per la matematica. Ha anche un risvolto morale

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not into math but this book was fantastic!