Steps forward in mathematics often reverberate in other scientific disciplines, and give rise to innovative conceptual developments or find surprising technological applications. This volume brings to the forefront some of the proponents of the mathematics of the twentieth century, who have put at our disposal new and powerful instruments for investigating the reality around us. The portraits present people who have impressive charisma and wide-ranging cultural interests, who are passionate about defending the importance of their own research, are sensitive to beauty, and attentive to the social and political problems of their times. What we have sought to document is mathematics' central position in the culture of our day. Space has been made not only for the great mathematicians but also for literary texts, including contributions by two apparent interlopers, Robert Musil and Raymond Queneau, for whom mathematical concepts represented a valuable tool for resolving the struggle between 'soul and precision.'
From the reviews:
"To attract new blood, mathematics must have a human face. ? Thus, one welcomes a book on Bell's model for the 20th century. ? Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries." (D. V. Feldman, Choice, Vol. 48 (9), May, 2011)
"This is a highly recommendable reading for mathematicians ? . Being a collection of independent chapters, the reader can proceed by browsing through the sections guided by the contents table. ? the reader can pick the book as a novel and read it from first page to last. This is relevant, because the organization and ordering of the chapters contribute to the overall effect by combining in different doses mathematics and life ? . This is a book to read and enjoy ? ." (Jesus M. Ruiz, The European Mathematical Society, August, 2011)
"This translation of a 2007 Italian collection has very interesting writeups about Michael Atiyah, N. Bourbaki, E. De Giorgi, A. N. Kolmogorov, John Nash, Laurent Schwartz, Gian-Carlo Rota, and Stephen Smale, among others. ? its descriptions of Italian mathematics and its context will be particularly valuable to non-Italians. ? there are lots of biographies and commentaries available." (Robert E. O'Malley, Jr., SIAM Review, Vol. 53 (2), 2011)
