Birth of a Theorem

A mathematician’s humorous and charming personal account of his eighteen-month journey to winning the Fields Medal.

Winner of the French-American Foundation Translation Prize in Nonfiction

Cédric Villani—the Lady Gaga of mathematics, as he has been called—was awarded the prestigious Fields Medal in recognition of a proof he and his former student Clément Mouhot devised to explain one of the most baffling phenomena in contemporary physics. In Birth of a Theorem, Villani evokes the highly personal and often frustration process of mathematical discovery. He doesn’t oversimplify or overexplain; instead, he invites the reader into his life. Drawing on diaries, emails, and the raw stuff of calculation in an utterly novel and provocative way, Villani paints an unforgettable self-portrait of the mathematician at work and at home, delaing with life’s daily problems while at the same time wrestling with the most daunting challenge of his career.

“Combining poetry, music, and formidable sleuthing, the charismatic Cédric Villani skillfully unfolds the complex yet wondrous world of mathematics. Birth of a Theorem inspires and entertains!” —Patti Smith

“Villani has written probably the most unlikely unputdownable thriller of the decade.” —Richard Morrison, The Times (London)

“[Birth of a Theorem] is less about math than about mathematicians—how they live, how they work, and how they talk to one another.” —Thomas Lin, The New Yorker