The brilliant new novel from one of our most respected writers--his
most ambitious and accessible to date.
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 in the mail 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 all 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 such as D. H. Lawrence, Bertrand Russell, and
Ludwig Wittgenstein, "The Indian Clerk" takes this extraordinary
slice of history and transforms it into an emotional and
spell-binding story about the fragility of human connection and our
need to find order in the world. David Leavitt is the author of
several novels, including "The Body of Jonah Boyd," "While England
Sleeps," and "Equal Affections." A recipient of fellowships from
both the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the National
Endowment for the Arts, he teaches at the University of Florida in
Gainesville. A "New York Times" Notable Book of the YearA "New York
Magazine" Top 10 Book of the Year 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
in the mail 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 all 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 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 such as D. H. Lawrence, Bertrand Russell, and
Ludwig Wittgenstein, "The Indian Clerk" takes this extraordinary
slice of history and transforms it into an emotional and
spell-binding story about the fragility of human connection and our
need to find order in the world.
"Mathematics and its paradoxes provide a deep vein of metaphor
that Leavitt uses to superb effect, demonstrating how the most
meaningful relationships can defy both logic and
imagination."--"The New Yorker"
"Leavitt, a fine writer, has captured not just the complex
nature of their partnership, but also a sense of the context: In
his telling, England at the turn of the 20th century fits the
phrase he uses to describe a particular boarding house, as 'a room
grown stale from its own protection.' But beneath the surface of
this story lurk issues that feel as fresh as today's news. Most
importantly, the novel addresses the clash of cultures as Britain's
empire-building came home to roost."--"Seattle Times"
"Extensively researched . . . a] richly layered, rueful portrait
. . . Leavitt has tapped into marvelous material."--"San Francisco
Chronicle"
"A beautiful and creative work that manages to portray a melange
of the literary, historical, romantic and academic, with
breathtaking prose and deeply nuanced characters."--"Pittsburg
Post-Gazette"
"Leavitt makes the math of prime numbers surprisingly palatable.
But we learn more about the complexities of love and work, and
their interaction. In Hardy, Leavitt has created a rich
character."--"Boston Globe"
"Erudite and well researched, and Leavitt writes about pure
mathematics in a way that won't utterly baffle those of us who
didn't get beyond pre-calculus in high school ."--"Christian
Science Monitor"
"A novel about people who really existed, recreated by an author
who plays with the facts, and especially the intriguing lacunae, of
their lives . . . richly imagined . . . Leavitt's porttrait of
Hardy is a remarkable achievement . . . Leavitt has been praised
and condemned for the explicit sex in his fiction, but it is his
candid exploration of class that sets him apart from most American
writers . . . It's usually not possible to know real people as well
as writers can know fictional characters, and it's to Leavitt's
enormous credit that he makes these historical personages so
vividly complex . . . Leavitt has a passion to inhabit the past, a
particular novelistic impulse that goes beyond simple 'animation'
of history. The research that went into "The Indian Clerk" is
impressive . . . reading it offers the pleasure of escape into
another world, along with the nagging feeling of familiarity that
characterizes the best historical fiction.""--The New York Times
Book Review"
"This is a daring novel in a most unusual way. It is as if David
Leavitt had challenged himself to novelize the subject most
inimical to fiction, and when the eureka moment arrived, it was a
vision of--mathematics ""--""Los Angeles"" Times Book Review"
"Excellent...highly recommended." --"Library Journal," starred
review
"A profoundly moving tale that illuminates the agony of
repressed feelings and the thrill of intellectual discovery. Think
"Remains of the Day" meets "Good Will Hunting."""--Entertainment
Weekly"
"Leavitt's copiously researched new novel focuses on a
relatively narrow world that he nevertheless illuminates into its
deepest recesses . . . Leavitt explores the legend that grew up
around Ramanujan, finds what is real in the myth that shrouded his
actual being, and in the process reaches impressive heights of
understanding the psyche of the intellectual as well as those who
seek company with the brilliant-minded.""--Booklist"
"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
absorb