What is it about?
‘Mathematicians in Poetry’ – this very interesting phenomenon is the topic of the presented publication. The union of two things that seem so different: the most strict and rational mathematics, and the most free and sensual poetry. During 22 centuries of human history, 21 persons were able to overcome this contradiction and to combine these contraries in their soul and creativity. Who were these outstanding humans? The reader of the paper will know.
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Why is it important?
This article is the result of going throug the history of mathematics in search of creative mathematicians who were also poets. It provides a substantial list of mathematicians who wrote poetry, from antiquity to the middle of the twentieth century, along with brief descriptions of their mathematical and poetic accomplishments. and resources for more information. The survey is followed by several examples of poetry written by mathematicians. There was no research of such type till now and the area is wide open and awaiting further studies.
Perspectives
Some possible directions of further studies: - Prolonging the investigation till our days, - Focusing on some partial areas, e.g. English/German/Russian poetry, - Revealing the psychological under- and background of writing poems by mathematicians.
Alla Shmukler
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Through the looking glass of history: mathematicians in the land of poetry, Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, July 2014, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/17513472.2014.930229.
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