From the Publisher
A modern classic, Einstein's Dreams is a fictional
collage of stories dreamed by Albert Einstein in 1905, when he
worked in a patent office in Switzerland. As the defiant but
sensitive young genius is creating his theory of relativity, a new
conception of time, he imagines many possible worlds. In one, time
is circular, so that people are fated to repeat triumphs and
failures over and over. In another, there is a place where time
stands still, visited by lovers and parents clinging to their
children. In another, time is a nightingale, sometimes trapped by a
bell jar.
Now translated into thirty languages, Einstein's
Dreams has inspired playwrights, dancers, musicians, and
painters all over the world. In poetic vignettes, it explores the
connections between science and art, the process of creativity, and
ultimately the fragility of human existence.
From the Jacket
A modern classic, Einstein''s Dreams is a fictional collage of
stories dreamed by Albert Einstein in 1905, when he worked in a
patent office in Switzerland. As the defiant but sensitive young
genius is creating his theory of relativity, a new conception of
time, he imagines many possible worlds. In one, time is circular,
so that people are fated to repeat triumphs and failures over and
over. In another, there is a place where time stands still, visited
by lovers and parents clinging to their children. In another, time
is a nightingale, sometimes trapped by a bell jar.
Now translated into thirty languages, Einstein''s Dreams has
inspired playwrights, dancers, musicians, and painters all over the
world. In poetic vignettes, it explores the connections between
science and art, the process of creativity, and ultimately the
fragility of human existence.
About the Author
Alan Lightman was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and educated at
Princeton and the California Institute of Technology. His books
include the novels Good Benito, The
Diagnosis, and Reunion; a collection of
essays and fables, Dance for Two; and several
books on science. His latest, a collection of essays, A
Sense of the Mysterious, will be published by
Pantheon books in January 2005. He lives in Massachusetts.
About the Book
An imaginary re-creation of Einstein's discovery of the nature of time, this novel takes readers through the young patent clerk's many dreams depicting compelling conceptions of time. New signed, boxed edition.
