Birth of a Theorem

Cédric Villani is a French mathematician who has received many international awards for his work including the Jacques Herbrand Prize, the Prize of the European Mathematical Society, the Fermat Prize and the Henri Poincaré Prize.In 2010 he was awarded the Fields Medal, the International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, for his work on Landau damping and the Boltzmann equation. Often called ‘the mathematicians’ Nobel Prize’, it is awarded every four years and is viewed by some as the highest honour a mathematician can achieve.He is a professor at Lyon University and Director of the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris, working primarily on partial differential equations and mathematical physics.

"Combining poetry, music and formidable sleuthing, the charismatic Cedric Villani skilfully unfolds the complex yet wondrous world of mathematics. Birth of a Theorem inspires and entertains!" -- Patti Smith "Cedric Villani's BIRTH OF A THEOREM is like no other book about maths: an unfiltered view into the daily life, and the soul, of a great mathematician, as he approaches and finally conquers a major result" -- Jordan Ellenberg "This man could plainly do for mathematics what Brian Cox has done for physics... [Birth of a Theorem] is one of the most peculiar and entertaining science books you will ever read" -- Brian Appleyard Sunday Times "Villani has written probably the most unlikely unputdownable thriller of the decade" -- Richard Morrison The Times "A fine book from a brilliant man" -- Rod Liddle Sunday Times