Overview

From the author of 'Stuart: A Life Backwards'; a warm and witty portrait of a harmless, eccentric, bona fide genius. Alexander Master's landlord, Simon, lives in the basement of their Cambridge house. Between teetering towers of outdated maps and slagheaps of plastic bags, Simon eats endless meals of tinned kippers and plans trips on the Cambridge public transport system. But Simon was one of the greatest mathematical prodigies of the twentieth century. He spends his time between train journeys working on a theoretical puzzle so complex and critical to our understanding of the universe that it is known as the Monster. Poignant and comical, 'Simon: The Genius in my Basement' is about the frailty of brilliance and how genius matters very little in the search for happiness.

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9780385341080

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Praise for Simon: The Genius in My Basement <br> <br> Exuberant and compelling . . . This is both a happy and a funny book. It is decorated with [Alexander] Masters's elegant cartoons and his language is lyrical and vernal. --Financial Times <br> <br> An absorbing read, with Masters's deft pen and idiosyncratic style once again in evidence. --The Times <br> <br> A comically tender portrait. --The Observer <br> <br> Astonishingly good . . . a glorious book: funny, surprising and completely sui generis. -- The Sunday Times <br> <br> Masters has managed to convey something of the beauty and mystery not just of mathematics but of the human spirit. --The Sunday Telegraph <br> <br> An affectionate, dynamic tale. --The List<br> <br> Delightful. --The Guardian

Author Information

Alexander Masters studied physics and mathematics in London and Cambridge. For five years he worked in hostels for the homeless and ran a street newspaper. He has also worked as a newspaper columnist, a travel writer, an illustrator, and a bedspread salesman.

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