In 2010, the French mathematician Cédric Villani received the Fields
Medal, the most coveted prize in mathematics, in recognition of a proof
that he devised with his close collaborator Clément Mouhot to explain
one of the most surprising theories in classical physics. Birth of a
Theorem is Villani's own account of the years leading up to the award.
It invites readers inside the mind of a great mathematician as he
wrestles with the most important work of his career.
But you don't have to understand nonlinear Landau damping to love Birth
of a Theorem. It doesn't simplify or overexplain; rather, it invites
readers into a collaboration. Villani's diaries, e-mails, and musings
enmesh you in the process of discovery. You join him in unproductive
lulls and late-night breakthroughs. You're privy to dining-hall
conversations at the world's greatest research institutions. Villani
shares his favorite songs, his love of manga, and the imaginative
stories he tells his children. In mathematics, as in any creative work,
it is the thinker's whole life that propels discovery--and with Birth
of a Theorem, Cédric Villani welcomes you into his.