“…The two main themes of Incompleteness, a play and a theorem – which, surprisingly, despite its bleak setting could well be called a comedy – are the concepts of incompleteness and anorexia.
“…The two main themes of Incompleteness, a play and a theorem – which, surprisingly, despite its bleak setting could well be called a comedy – are the concepts of incompleteness and anorexia.
“Now, in what is probably its final form — the author can’t resist last-minute fine-tuning — the play dramatizes Gödel’s last days.
“It appears that apart from Apostolos Doxiadis, the whole cast are attracted by the magic of the Incompleteness Theorem, and its repercussions for human living.
‘Petros Papachristos is…the invention of Apostolos Doxiadis. But the story of his life is enriched with so many authentic details from history in general and from science in particular that one feels tempted to look him up in a biographic dictionary. Doxiadis manages to keep the reader’s attention until the tragic end…’
‘delightful and original…Although framed by math, the Uncle Petros story easily extends interest beyond the scientific minded.’
‘intriguing debut…Doxiadis keeps the story engaging by focusing on the development of two compelling characters…the novel is captivating.’
‘An intellectual thriller that manages to convey the high drama and excitement involved in the pursuit of an answer to a mysterious…mathematical theorem…Delightful, fun, well-conceived and nicely executed.’
‘Reads like a fascinating adventure story. Doxiadis has given to literature the mysterious, arcane and sometimes tragic world of abstract mathematics.’
The novel can, and should be, enjoyed as the beautifully written story of a man obsessed by numbers. The mathematics has no greater importance than, say, the biology of dragons in Tolkien’s work. However, professionals in the field will be intrigued…
With “Uncle Petros & Goldbach’s Conjecture,” first-time author Apostolos Doxiadis has put together a stunning synthesis of mathematics and make-believe. In the grand tradition of science novels…