On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction [Paperback]

Karl Iagnemma (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2004

Winner of the Paris Review Discovery Prize for best first fiction and anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 2002, Karl Iagnemma has been recognized as a writer of rare talent. His literary terrain is the world of science, with its charged boundary between the rational mind and the restless heart. In Iagnemma's stories, mathematicians and theoreticians, foresters and doctors, yearn to sustain bonds as steadfast as the equations and principles that anchor their lives. A frustrated academic tries to diagram his troubled relationship with his girlfriend but fails to create a formula for romance. A nineteenth-century phrenologist must reexamine the connection between knowledge and passion when a young con-woman beats him at his own game. A jaded professor dreams endlessly of his two obsessions: a beautiful former colleague and the theorem that made her famous. Inventive, wise, funny, and disquieting, Karl Iagnemma's first collection attests to his spirited imagination and his prodigious literary gifts.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The meticulousness of science and mathematics is applied to the mysteries of love in Iagnemma's debut collection, which features eight complex, multilayered stories in which protagonists try to balance the demands of the heart against their need for rational, orderly thinking. The title story introduces a young academic who tries to formulate a series of mathematical equations he can use to force his willful, libidinous girlfriend to make a commitment to him. Some of the stories are period pieces. In "The Phrenologist's Dream," a 19th-century phrenologist falls in love with a former female client who seduces him and then makes off with his valuable set of skulls. In "Zilkowski's Theorem," a pair of Boston mathematicians vie for the attention of the same woman, then end up betting their professional future on the outcome of a Red Sox game. An idealistic, creative young couple find their dreams humorously compromised in "The Confessional Approach," one of the few stories that abandons the science theme; impending poverty forces the couple to sell the woman's finely crafted wooden mannequins to the owner of a shooting range, where they become targets for gun hobbyists. Elegant, witty and concise, Iagnemma's stories precisely capture the hopelessly imprecise nature of love.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Iagnemma, a research scientist at MIT, is a rising star among short story writers, having won both a Pushcart Prize and a coveted spot in last year's Best American Short Stories [BKL S 15 02]. His debut collection explores the places where faith, love, and science all intersect. In "Zilkowski's Theorem," a mathematician deliberates revealing a secret that could boost his career at the expense of the reputation of the woman he loves. In "The Phrenologist"s Dream," set in the nineteenth century, a traveling phrenologist has his heart stolen (along with his collection of porcelain skulls) by a beautiful, hairless woman. In the moving story "The Ore Miner's Wife," a naive Christian bride, fearing a moral lapse on the part of her husband, destroys papers that contain his potentially important geometrical theories. And in "Kingdom, Order, Species," a female forester resorts to breaking and entering in order to meet the reclusive author of an introductory textbook on botany; she hopes the encounter may offer answers to why her love life and career never seem to blossom. These intelligent, quirky, and suspenseful stories offer proof of Iagnemma's stunning talent. James Klise
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; 1st Print.; Delta Trade Ppbk Ed.2004 edition (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385335946
• ISBN-13: 978-0385335942
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #598,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Artist and Scientist in One, August 2, 2003

By 

Xujun Eberlein "xje" (Boston, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction (Hardcover)

When I first read the title story of this collection, "On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction" in Paris Review a couple of years ago, I was immediately hit by the opening: "When students here can't stand another minute, they get drunk and hurl themselves off the top floor of the Gehring building, the shortest building on campus." A writer myself, I know very well how difficult it is to find a great opening. Nowadays, many writers-- including some high-profile ones-- seem to seek a shocking effect for its own sake, so it's often forced and unnatural. Karl Iagnemma does not have this problem. His stories are as real as they are impressive. The aforementioned opening passage resonates with my years in MIT where students are as crazy and talented as Karl's characters, yet it sends a strong signal to the reader of a non-boring campus story. Oddly, this opening also reminds me of Ha Jin's award-wining novel, Waiting, which opens with: "Every summer Lin Kong returned to Goose Village to divorce his wife, Shuyu." Here, two talented writers "sing different tunes with equal skill," as a Chinese proverb says. These openings simply make you want to read on.

And here's more: none of the stories in this collection disappointed me. I'm a picky reader. At first, I thought Karl's stories attracted me because he and I have something in common: we both are scientists trained at MIT (though I didn't know him), and we both are writers. Soon I realized it's the in-depth portrayal of human nature that resonates the most. In his story "Zilkowski's Theorem", a mathematician writes his girlfriend's Ph.D dissertation. He does it for love. But after his girlfriend is converted to a new religion and becomes another man's finance, she wants to be "honest" and publicize the fact that the dissertation wasn't hers. This "honest" act would put the mathematician's career in jeopardy, in favor of his rival - the girl's husband-to-be. Every character in this story did what seemed reasonable, yet a moral dilemma remained. Different readers may have different takes on the story; "the benevolent see benevolence and the wise see wisdom." That is the beauty of this story.

It's worth noting that, two stories in this collection, "Zilkowski's Theorem" and "the Confessional Approach" were translated into Chinese and published in the prestigious Writers literary magazine in China. Unlike most short stories by unknown foreign writers that went largely unnoticed by Chinese media and readers, China's most popular weekly newspaper <i> Southern Weekend </i> devoted an entire page to reviewing Karl's stories and had high praise. As unusual as this is, it shows, more importantly, good stories go a long way, across oceans and cultures.

Another thing worth mentioning: Karl has a unique way with language and story structure. It's so brilliantly different from other writes I have read. I like to think it's because he is both an artist and scientist. Sometimes, our profession impacts our personality and style, perhaps.

Xujun Eberlein

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eclectic, yet pleasant, surprise, May 20, 2003

By 

D. Byrne "promo man" (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction (Hardcover)

My fiance bought this book because it was recommended by Amazon as a companion to the new Tom Robbins book. She had no idea what it was about or that it was a series of short stories but liked the romantic nature of the title. Since she wanted to read Tom Robbins first I took this book and read it over the weekend on some long flights we were took together. I found it an incredibly eclectic, yet pleasant, surprise. As a wannabee writer, I think that the author is incredibly talented. His vocabulary is brilliant and his ability to combine early to mid-1800's history and his knowledge of his educational experiences in Michigan together is fascinating. Since I haven't read any short stories since college (30 years), I also enjoyed not being told the whole story, having to project the subjects true feelings myself. I especially liked the story about the girl who looks up the author of one of her college textbooks and the Boston Red Sox ending to the competitive college professors story.

What a versatile writer and story teller. I think you will really like this book if you go in without any preconceived notions. And, of course, if you are a hopeless romantic and like Tom Robbins writing style.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific Debut from a Talented New Writer, May 5, 2003

By 

Kenneth Goldstein (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction (Hardcover)

Karl Iagnemma is a research scientist in the mechanical engineering department at MIT, but in his spare time he writes incredibly enjoyable stories about Ph.D. students who describe their love using Venn diagrams, love triangles and sabotage between mathematicians, and a phrenologist and his mysterious traveling companion. There's a rare fictional combination of scientific logic and romantic empathy that makes these stories some of the best I've read in years. Highly recommended.