On a January morning in 1913, G. H. Hardy - eccentric, charismatic and, at thirty-seven, already considered the greatest British mathematician of his age - receives a mysterious envelope covered with Indian stamps. Inside he finds a rambling letter from a self-professed mathematical genius who claims to be on the brink of solving the most important unsolved mathematical problem of his time. Some of his Cambridge colleagues dismiss the letter as a hoax, but Hardy becomes convinced that the Indian clerk who has written it - Srinivasa Ramanujan - deserves to be taken seriously. Aided by his collaborator, Littlewood, and a young don named Neville who is about to depart for Madras with his wife, Alice, he determines to learn more about the mysterious Ramanujan and, if possible, persuade him to come to Cambridge. It is a decision that will profoundly affect not only his own life, and that of his friends, but the entire history of mathematics. Based on the remarkable true story of the strange and ultimately tragic relationship between an esteemed British mathematician and an unknown - and unschooled - mathematical genius, and populated with such luminaries as D. H. Lawrence, Bertrand Russell, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, The Indian Clerk fashions from this fascinating period an exquisitely nuanced and utterly compelling story about the fragility of human connection and our need to find order in the world.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'A loving exploration of one of the greatest collaborations of the past century, THE INDIAN CLERK is a novel that brilliantly orchestrates questions of colonialism, sexual identity and the nature of genius' Manil Suri, author of THE DEATH OF VISHNU 'The certainty attributed to mathematics is richly contrasted to the uncertainty of human relationships in Leavitt's unusual and absorbing eighth novel impressively researched, insistently readable and keenly sensitive easily Leavitt's best-and a heartening indication that [Leavitt] has reached a new level of artistic maturity' Kirkus 'An insightful presentation of the entrancing, obsessive strangeness and beauty of pure mathematics in the Cambridge of Hardy and Ramanujah. A memorable feat' Edmund White 'One of his generation's most gifted authors' New York Times
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
David Leavitt is the author of several novels including The Lost Language of Cranes, three story collections and, most recently, The Body of Jonah Boyd. He lives in Gainesville and teaches at the University of Florida.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved entering this world,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Indian Clerk (Kindle Edition)
I've always loved math, and the author made me feel that I had entered a mathematician's world in a way that I, with my limited mathematical abilities, was never able to. He captured the feelings of joy and wonder that I felt when I discovered the calculus. The characters are finely etched, and the world he creates is honest and well rendered. Enjoy!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Poor quality electronic scan,
By Keninca (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Indian Clerk (Kindle Edition)
This is a third-rate electronic scan of the printed material, complete with duplicated text and mis-scanned punctuation and symbols. Stick with the printed version.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not of the caliber Of Kanigel's Book,
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This review is from: The Indian Clerk (Kindle Edition)
The story of Ramanujan is only a sidelight in a book largely about the lifestyles of early twentieth century Cambridge dons.
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