Song of Two Worlds [Hardcover]

Alan Lightman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1568814631 | ISBN-13: 978-1568814636

In Alan Lightman's new book, a verse narrative titled SONG OF TWO WORLDS, we meet a man who has lost his faith in all things following a mysterious personal tragedy. After decades of living hung like a dried fly, emptied and haunted by his past, the narrator awakens one morning revitalized and begins a Dante-like journey to find something to believe in, first turning to the world of science and then to the world of philosophy, religion, and human life. As his personal story is slowly revealed, little by little, we confront the great questions of the cosmos and of the human heart, some questions with answers and others without.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Full of context, atmosphere, and vivid imagery, and yet ultimately abstract, SONG OF TWO WORLDS shows us a serious, passionate man who straddles the worlds of scientific and poetic enterprise. We feel the consolations of the mathematical line and we feel the seductions of the strummed chord of the oud, and between these we feel the altogether human pressure to make a whole life out of our fragmented, multiple universe. --Erica Funkhouser, Poet, The Actual World, Pursuit, and Earthly

Alan Lightman sheds rare light on the wondrous meeting ground of poetry and science in his book-length poem SONG OF TWO WORLDS. In our hands comes a true gift, a lyric and absorbing journey through the universe and the mind of a man as attuned to its mysteries as to its beauty. --Roald Hoffmann, Nobel-Prize winning chemist and poet

Only Alan Lightman could have written this verse narrative that brings together his explorations in the worlds of science, art and philosophy and makes of them this strange and mysterious but seamless and beguiling whole. --ANITA DESAI, author of In Custody and two-time finalist for the Booker Prize

About the Author

Alan Lightman is a physicist, novelist, and essayist who, from an early age, was entranced by both science and the arts. Educated at Princeton University and at the California Institute of Technology, he has served on the faculties of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was the first person at MIT to hold a joint faculty position in science and in the humanities. His essays, short fiction, and reviews have appeared in many publications, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Smithsonian, Discover, Harper's, Nature and The New York Times. His 1993 novel, EINSTEIN'S DREAMS, was an international bestseller and has been adopted for campus-wide readings at many colleges and universities. His novel THE DIAGNOSIS was a finalist for the 2000 National Book Award in fiction. Lightman's other books include REUNION, A SENSE OF THE MYSTERIOUS, THE DISCOVERIES, and GHOST. Lightman is also the founding director of the Harpswell Foundation, which is working to empower a new generation of women leaders in Cambodia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: A K Peters (October 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568814631
• ISBN-13: 978-1568814636
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Lightman, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences since 1996, is adjunct professor of humanities at MIT. He is the author of several books on science, including "Ancient Light: Our Changing View of the Universe" (1991) and "Origins: The Lives and Worlds of Modern Cosmologists" (with R. Brawer, 1990). His works of fiction include "Einstein's Dreams" (1993), "The Diagnosis" (2000), which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and, most recently, "Reunion" (2003).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique thing to behold, December 15, 2009

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Song of Two Worlds (Hardcover)

Created by a man of science and of art, Alan Lightman's work is a unique thing to behold. "Song of Two Worlds" is a collection of poetry from the physicist, as he blends his two disciplines well for a truly fascinating insight into the world around us. With fine verse, "Song of Two Worlds" is a top pick. "44": Afternoon on my terrace, I sit/In the heat, bare chested,/Sipping hot tea. Far off,/The sound of an oud. And then nothing./The air closes, silence. Again,/The faint strings of old,/Muffled bells, drums,/Horn sound of mizmar --/All swallowed in air.