The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician's Search for the Universe's Hidden Geometry

"The book is an unexpectedly intimate look into a highly accomplished man, his colleagues and friends, the development of a new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly uncommon mind."-Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe "For decades, mathematician Shing-Tung Yau-a winner of the 1982 Fields Medal-has been central to the cross-fertilization between modern mathematics and physics. His work in geometry, for instance, underlies much of string theory. This volume, co-authored with science writer Steve Nadis, is an intimate account of Yau's life"-Barbara Kiser, Nature "An eye-opening and insightful account... Yau's life story is an inspiring example of the power education." -Dan Eady, South China Morning Post "Yau and Nadis's The Shape of a Life opens a window into the fascinating mind and world of today's equivalent of Apollonius of Perga, `The Great Geometer' of antiquity."-Mario Livio, author of Brilliant Blunders "The interesting life of a remarkably influential modern mathematician."-Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study "This book tells a fascinating story of a life lived between multiple cultures-China and the West, and mathematics and physics. Yau's journey from poverty in Hong Kong to the top levels of the mathematics world was not a simple one."-Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study "Candid, deep, and truly inspiring, The Shape of a Life is studded with unexpected insights into Yau's thinking. An extraordinary story about an extraordinary person."-Gish Jen, author of The Girl at the Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap "The remarkable story of one of the world's most accomplished mathematicians, Shing-Tung Yau, who has made profound contributions in pure mathematics, general relativity, and string theory. Yau's personal journey-from escaping China as a youngster, leading a gang outside Hong Kong, becoming captivated by mathematics, to making breakthroughs that thrust him on the world stage-inspires us all with humankind's irrepressible spirit of discovery."-Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe