This semester, I'm taking a course on topology, just for fun. Hence, I've grown more and more interested in stories about mathematicians who work in the field of topology, and no tale is grander than the race to prove the Poincare Conjecture!
Math enthusiasts will know that it is no longer a conjecture, but a theorem now. It was finally proven for n=3 by Grigori Perelman, an odd Russian genius who chose seclusion and anonymity over fame and glory. The book "Poincare's Prize" is full of stories about mathematicians who succeeded in proving the conjecture for certain dimensions (Smale proved n>4, and Freedman proved n=4), and others who spent the better part of their lives searching for one.
As if the writing wasn't enough, the lives of these mathematicians keep the reader engaged. The story of some of these mathematicians will bound to make the reader smile (people like Stephen Smale), some will evoke unlimited sympathy (all those who failed to find a proof), some will leave the reader angry (like Yau Shing Tung), and finally there is one person who will force the reader to imagine the unconstrained capabilities of the human mind, and that person is Grigori Perelman.
Perelman is the shining star of the book, his ultimate triumph and his withdrawal from mathematics and the media's attention not only makes for a potential Hollywood movie, but also forces the reader to think about the meaning of accolades and prizes, more importantly to ponder the underlying drive to find truth.
Below are some pictures of Perelman, taken by a person who spotted him on the subway in Moscow.
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