Borges and mathematics
By: by Guillermo Martinez ; translated by Andrea G. Labinger
Publisher: Purdue University Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: West Lafayette, Ind
Language: eng
Number of pages: 140
ISBN-13: 9781557536327; 9781612492513; 9781612492520
Subjects: LITERARY CRITICISM / Short Stories; Knowledge; LITERARY CRITICISM / Caribbean & Latin American; Mathematics; MATHEMATICS / Essays; Mathematics in literature
Work titles: Borges y la matemática
Description: "Borges and Mathematics is a short book of essays that explores the scientific thinking of the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986). Around half of the book consists of two "lectures" focused on mathematics. The rest of the book reflects on the relationship between literature, artistic creation, physics, and mathematics more generally. Written in a way that will be accessible even to those "who can only count to ten," the book presents a bravura demonstration of the intricate links between the worlds of sciences and arts, and it is a thought provoking call to dialog for readers from both traditions. The author, Guillermo Martinez, is both a recognized writer, whose murder mystery The Oxford Murders has been translated into thirty-five languages, and a PhD in mathematics. Contents: Borges and Mathematics: First Lecture; Borges and Mathematics: Second Lecture; The Golem and Artificial Intelligence; The Short Story as Logical System; A Margin Too Narrow; Euclid, or the Aesthetics of Mathematical Reasoning; Solutions and Disillusions; The Pythagorean Twins; The Music of Chance (Interview with Gregory Chaikin); Literature and Rationality; Who's Afraid of the Big Bad One?; A Small, Small God; God's Sinkhole. This book was originally published in Spanish as Borges y la matematica (2003). It has been translated with generous support from the Latino Cultural Center at Purdue University"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Borges and mathematics, first lecture; title: Borges amd mathematics, second lecture; title: The Golem and artificial intelligence; title: The short story as logical system; title: A margin too narrow; title: Euclid, or, the aesthetics of mathematical reasoning; title: Solutions and disillusionment; title: The Pythagorean twins; title: The music of chance; title: Literature and rationality; title: Who's afraid of the big bad one?; title: A small, small god; title: God's sinkhole.