In the second half of the eighteenth century, soon agitated by the French revolutionary ideas and formulation of modern philosophical thought, born in Germany successively Alexander von Humboldt (1769 1859) and Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777 1855). Two men who will revolutionize science and lay the foundations dune new modern scientific thought.
It is their romantic lives that we will follow in the writings inspired and colorful of Kehlmann. A life dincapacité to be in company with neither understand or naccepte codes and rules. A life crossing intellectual flashes, where flashes of genius are constantly succeed for a glimpse of the door through which the thinking goes sengouffrer to solve dénigmes amount and advancing science by leaps and bounds.
Humboldt was a time tempted by philology before becoming a mining engineer and find its way into the natural sciences. He boarded young man to America South, where he spent years collecting plants, measure, invent new techniques for surveying, draw the terrible dune accurate maps of these new nations sorganisaient. Navigating such Aguirre on makeshift boats, he tamed the Amazon, discovered the canal linking the giant river lOrénoque explained ocean currents and climatology, climbed volcanoes and sengouffra in the darkest caves to explain the composition of the planet and bring down the ridiculous theory Neptunism then prevailing.
Gauss was called the Prince of Mathematicians. At eight, he proved able dingérer in one day all of the mathematical knowledge of the times. He jumped off his wedding to Rate nit a formula that revolutionized the world, was able to measure space with terrifying precision before probabilizing Life expectancy of discovering the curve-shaped bell statistical law which bore his name.
Humboldt became chancellor of the emperor, Gauss told Niepce how to solve the problem of securing the silver solution which laid the foundations of modern photography.
First brought to Berlin from the second night of their lives. This will result in a series of misadventures, burlesque scenes because it was impossible to engineering beings to behave in normal humans.
You let yourself be fascinated by this novel strong documented the epic and brilliant style. A novel of adventure and dinventions. A deeply psychological novel too. A novel that finally admiration strength and is, in itself, lon discovers Daniel Kehlmann emergency if you do not know it!
Published by Editions Actes Sud 2006 299 pages
find my reading notes on thierrycollet-cetalir.blogspot.com
