Customer Reviews

Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture

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Uncle Petros is most definitely an interesting read, but I suspect each reader have a markedly different experience with the book. As a fictional story woven neatly into the real history of mathematics, it does very well.

The most impressive part of the book was its representation of a mathematician's life. Although not a mathematician myself (I'm a physicist), I can see a very truthful portrayal of the struggles (and joys) of a life in mathematical research. The human element has often been overlooked in recent popular science/science literature books.

The only negative comment I have regarding the book is the treatment of mathematical content. If you are looking for a book that will give you some insight into the actual nature of Goldbach's conjecture, look elsewhere. The mathematics itself is never treated beyond describing what the problem is and how to understand a statement of it.

That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, however, there are a great number of references to mathematical knowledge that I imagine are beyond the comprehension of people who have not studied mathematics at a university level. If you don't mind being somewhat perplexed by the occasional sentence, then you won't have a problem. Just don't think that the bits you are missing will illuminate the mathematics of Goldbach's conjecture particularly well.

Unfortunately, the case is worse for Godel's incompleteness theorems. If the ideas discussed whet your appetite, you are best off seeking out other popular science books on the topic as Uncle Petros does not give a very clear idea of its nature.

Overall, however, the story is an interesting one. It is one of the few books available which deals with the nature of being a mathematician and for that it is to be commended.

If you like this type of book, I would recommend you have a look at The French Mathematician, by Tom Petsinis, a well written fictional biography of Evariste Galois, another big name in mathematics. It is well written literature and provides real insight into a mathematical life and the mathematics driving it.

This "anti-heroic" novel is centered around a man's changing attitudes toward the passion of his life: the man happens to be a Greek mathematician with a distinguished -- for a while -- career in early twentieth century Germany; and his passion is no other than an unsolved problem that even elementary school kids could understand (but not necessarily comprehend): is every even number the sum of just two odd numbers none of which is the product of smaller odd numbers? The Greek mathematician, Petros Papachristou, is fictional, but the problem, known as Goldbach's Conjecture, is very real and still (June 2000) unsolved, perhaps even unsolvable.

This last word, "unsolvable", is indeed the novel's keystone: to most people it means "something that themselves, and possibly others as well, cannot solve", but to mathematicians it may also mean "something that cannot be solved" or, in more mathematical language, "something that cannot be decided"; more to the point, a mathematical problem is "undecidable" when its solution is elusive not because of the potential solvers' insufficient talent, effort or knowledge, but rather because of its "inner structure". Wonderfully, the first and most famous example of such an "undecidable" statement comes straight out of plane geometry and the world's second most read book, Euclid's "Elements": is it true for every straight line L and every point P not on L that there exists exactly one straight line that is parallel to L and passes through P at the same time? [If you think that the answer is an obvious "yes", imagine our universe as a sphere and then start thinking what "straight lines" and "parallel lines" on that sphere ought to be...]

Papachristou's personal tragedy is precisely that he invested so much of himself on a goal that was not only extraordinarily ambitious, but quite likely profoundly unattainable as well: he worked on a mathematical problem that might have been, or even be, undecidable rather than merely unsolvable. Moreover, he started pursuing his goal at a time that it was not clear to him (or anyone else) how plentiful unattainable goals are: indeed it was only in 1930 that Czech mathematician Kurt Goedel (a real person!) stunned the world by proving that every mathematical system and theory (be it built on numbers or lines or whatever) hides deep inside it undecidable questions; that is, Euclid's undecidable "postulate" was far from an isolated "accident" in our intellectual history...

Shattered by Goedel's discovery, Papachristou the brilliantly successful (but increasingly withdrawn) mathematics professor turns into "Uncle Petros": a social oddity living alone on family inheritance in an Athenian suburb, and visited by disapproving relatives every June 29 (his "name day"). But one of those visiting relatives is an angel (or devil?) of sorts, a young, bright nephew with a developing passion for Mathematics, completely unaware of his uncle's complicated past in the field (which is a sad story for the entire family): Uncle Petros feels obliged to discourage him from pursuing Mathematics by employing Goldbach's Conjecture in a sinister manner, and that's where the story begins to unravel...

Skillfully, Doxiadis, himself withdrawn from a potentially brilliant career in mathematics, builds his novel around the parallel mathematical orbits of uncle and nephew and their encounter with the infamous problem. The emphasis is on human struggle and disillusionment rather than the mathematics itself, which, with the exception of Goedel's "philosophical" theorem, is kept on the story's periphery and on an intentionally, some times even naively so, accessible level. Another mathematical prodigy, a Brooklyn Jew mastering the immensely complicated field of Algebraic Topology in the novel's backstage, is cleverly thrown into the story as an unanticipated link between uncle and nephew.

Those familiar with Doxiadis' first novel, "Parallel Lives" (1985, in Greek), may not be surprised by the novel's ending: Uncle Petros is eventually led back to his life's failed passion by his nephew's unforeseen love of mathematics ... in about the same way a random encounter involving a third person brings back to the "Parallel Lives"' old Christian ascetic his own youth's elusive goal (and very reason for his withdrawing into the Arabian desert) -- a beloved, unfaithful, much repented wife ravaged by old age... One story is centered around mathematical truth, the other one around Christian faith, but one thing Doxiadis seems to warn us about in both is that, long after we have shattered and buried the statues of our youth, the broken marbles may one day resurface to adorn our coffin...

To those of you who maybe hesitate reading a book by a relatively new Greek author,I say only this: Order now! "Unkle Petros" is a fascinating human story evolving around advanced mathematics, nevertheless accessible even to people like me who only know that 2+2=4. Doxiadis has written one of the true originals of the year 2000, with knowledge, humour, style and true love for his hero. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I am not a mathematician. Indeed, my High School mathematics teachers would probably be a bit surprised to find me reading a novel about mathematics. However, that this novel deals with some of the history of Number Theory in mathematics is just part of what is going on.

'Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture' deals with notions of talent, obsession, failure, and choice. The narrative concerns a man with incredible talent in mathematics who becomes obsessed with finding the solution to one of mathematics great problems. His failure (at least in any recognisable way) to find the solution leads many, especially his family, to question the choices that he made. However, one of his nephews (the narrator) finds his uncle fascinating and learns many things which force him to re-evaluate both his family's opinion of Uncle Petros, and his own choices in life.

In some ways this novel reminded me of 'Sophie's World' by Jostein Gaarder. Where Gaarder's book dealt with the history of philosophy, this one uses the history of Number Theory as it's backdrop. However, if anything the narrative framework for this novel was tighter and more convincing (although the novel itself is relatively short). While I didn't always understand the mathematics of what was going on, that didn't matter for the plot and it has raised some ideas that I will try and read more about in the future. A novel that makes you think about aspects of life AND teaches you some basics about mathematics, I'm glad that I read it.

Or rather, with the gods reborn in psychological terms as our inner motivators and inhibitors.

At its simplest, this is a short, well written, light, detective story. It is a little like Sherlock Holmes, a set of stories read by Uncle Petros, with Mathematics as an environment rather than a subject.

If taken at this level it is an enjoyable read that should have a wide audience.

However, it is a multifaceted novel. For me it has its origins in Ancient Greece, its heart in the theme of `Pride" (hubris) and is constructed in terms of Greek Tragedy, complete with protagonist (Uncle Petros) / antagonist (unnamed nephew narrator). It has all the intensity and economy needed to make a wonderful opera.

There are many allusions to the myths, philosophy and history of Ancient Greece. Pythagoras, his mathematics (especially his opinion of the number 2 and the Pythagorean idea of rules imposing limits on the unlimited) and his views on beans seem to lie behind a several of the book's images. Plato is specifically referred to and the location of much of the story in Uncle Petros's semi-rural cottage is reminiscent of the original Academy.

Of the myths, Oedipus is central: The solving of the sphinx's riddles (the second riddle, about two sisters, links with Petros's dream), Oedipus being destroyed by `truth', his apotheosis at Colonus all have parallels in the novel.

There are references to more recent literature and other arts forms: The choice of Isolde (Wagner's Eros driven opera), as the name of Petros's only human love is typical - and Hamlet, complete with ghost, make an appearance too.

All this is treated with a light hand, there to be seen and enjoyed but not essential to understanding (unlike, for example, in TS Eliot!).

Another major facet is an exploration of creativity and originality. Apostolos Doxiadis clearly demonstrates the visual imaging many great thinkers experience (Kekule and the tail-biting snake being a classic example) and reflects contemporary views on dreams and the role of the sub/unconscious.

The book looks at the social and political consequences of original creativity: The tremendous self belief and lack of doubt needed to drive the mind to real creativity; the politics surrounding the individual in institutions and the need for peer recognition; the isolation from the family and the way we define "self".

Scattered through the book are characters driven `mad' by too close a knowledge of the pure form - the sad image of Kurt Godel in the `shabby', `genteel', Oppenheimer created Institute of Advanced Study is quite horrifying in some respects. Other real mathematicians appear, all `The Greats' bent from the norms of the society they lived in in some way, all seeking immortality, a place in the museum of mathematics.

The book opens with the bold claim (in a quote) that mathematicians have a greater chance of immortality than poets: It ends in the `poetic' First Cemetery of Athens with Goldbach's Conjecture engraved, as a poem, on Uncle Petros's grave stone.

This literary page-turner, subtle and concise, is set in the poetic world of pure mathematics, with finely crafted cameo appearances by real-life heroes of the field. The title character is a tragic hero in the great tradition and the "clueless" ambivalent narrator/antihero a worthy equal of Ishiguro's butler. VERY readable, with knowledge or understanding of mathematics NOT required. I read it at one sitting. One of the aesthetic pleasures for me was that the,technically flawless, English text (the authors own rendering), through nuances of formality, hints of stilted syntax and combinations of slang with slightly foreign idiom, never lets you forget that you are reading a novel by a Greek author. It added a dimension that is most often missing from translated texts.

To be honest, I loved this book. I have a special place in my heart for novels about mathematicians and this is a good one.

However, the mathematician in me requires that I be objective. As a novel, it is slight. There is not a lot of plot here and depth of character is rather limited. For the average person looking for something to read of an afternoon, this is perhaps not the best choice.

On the other hand, anyone who wants a glimpse inside of the mathematical mind will find a good look here. Additionally, you will find insight not only into the mind of mathematical genius (the standard in books about mathematicians) but also into the mind of the rest of us--we mathematical Salieris who wish for the genius but can only admire it in others. This is a worthwhile insight that is not often found in books about mathematicians. In the characters of Petros and his nephew, the narrator of the tale, we find the two major categories of mathematician and, in the story of Petros' attempt to prove on of the great unsolved problems of mathematics, we get a wonderful tour through many of the famous personalities and problems of 20th century mathematics.

For someone interested in mathematics and mathematicians this is a fun book and short enough to be read in a sitting. For the non-mathematician who wants to know a bit about the passions of mathematicians, this is a good book as well. For anyone else, I'd suggest you find something else.

A young boy decided to find out the truth about his mysterious, eccentric uncle Petros, a retired professor of mathematics. As he grows into his teens, his obsession with the old man does not diminish, on the contrary, it tempts him into pursuing a career of mathematician himself. Page after page, we follow him as he unveils secrets about his uncle and his life-long struggle with a mathematical hypothesis known as Goldbach's conjecture.

With Petros and his nephew, the reader enters the arcane and exciting area of number theory, a pandemonium of Goldbach's Conjecture, Riemann Hypothesis, Prime Number Theorem, to name a few, with Goedel's Incompleteness Theorem being a guest star. Apostolos Doxiadis, a mathematician by his formal education, stands firmly on his ground - science-wise, there are no apparent flops in the book, which happens so often with writes less acquainted with the locale they put their protagonists in. The title of this review, borrowed from Plato, is an exaggeration - no prior mathematical knowledge is required to enjoy this novel; some love for mathematics, however, is.

Doxiadis - ......... - first published Uncle Petros (O Theios Petros ...) in Greek in 1992, one year before Andrew Wiles announced that he found the proof of the Fermat's Last Theorem. One out of the three most difficult problems in mathematics has thus proven to be solvable, after 350 years. To this day, Goldbach's Conjecture is still "only" 250 years old, and not solved yet. However, the publishers of Uncle Petros, Faber & Faber (UK) and Bloomsbury (USA) have issued a $1,000,000 challenge to prove it. Would you like to pick up where Petros Papachristos left it?

"Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture" is a fable in three chapters. It is well-crafted, thoughtful, and a digest of the author's own experience with the field of mathematics. We have placed it on our shelf beside the works of Chekhov, Shaw, Russell and Synge. The central thesis applies to everyone and it is that "The secret of life is to set attainable goals." Having done that, we must then learn to deal with love - love of family, love of self, love of lovers, and love of an idea, the latter especially for those who have received the gift of genius. Love is the mesolimbic imperative that gives us life and in so doing, consumes us thereafter. All of this is there and we may recognize that Uncle Petros' failure is not one of hubris or incompetence, but rather, that he did not love enough, that he did not strike with his genius when he had to. His gift did lie fallow for twenty years, and in the end, did return again to complete its task, and to take his life. The publisher has offered a prize of US$1,000,000 to anyone who can decide the Goldbach Conjecture in the next year or so. It is believed that there are perhaps eight people in the world today who might be able to do that. If you believe that you might be the ninth in this field (or any other), then indeed this book is required reading.

I picked up this book after watching the movie A Beautiful Mind -- it's a delightful, easy-to-read novel about an aspiring mathemetician who tries to get to know the truth about his eccentric mathemetician uncle. The book details the uncle's life-long struggle to solve Goldbach's Conjecture, which (for you non-mathemeticians, like me) posits that every even number greater than two is the sum of two primes. I felt like the novel showed a somewhat realistic perspective of a driven, obsessed scientist, and showed how the scientist's activities and behaviors affected and even alienated those around him. The protagonist is the only member of the mathemetician's family who bothers to get to know and appreciate him -- and that is a struggle, as the mathemetician often does things to alienate his nephew. Don't be put off by the math; it's actuallyq quite easy to read.