Shape of a Life

Shing-Tung Yau is the William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University. He has been awarded a Fields Medal, a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, the Crafoord Prize, the Veblen Prize, and other honors. Steve Nadis is a science writer and contributing editor to Astronomy and Discover magazines.

“The book is an unexpectedly intimate look into a highly accomplished man, his colleagues and friends, the development of a new field of geometric analysis, and a glimpse into a truly uncommon mind.”—Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe"For decades, mathematician Shing-Tung Yau—a winner of the 1982 Fields Medal—has been central to the cross-fertilization between modern mathematics and physics. His work in geometry, for instance, underlies much of string theory. This volume, co-authored with science writer Steve Nadis, is an intimate account of Yau’s life”—Barbara Kiser, Nature“An eye-opening and insightful account. . . . Yau’s life story is an inspiring example of the power of education.”—Dan Eady, South China Morning Post“A real story of a remarkable mathematician and of contemporary mathematics, written with passion by one of the key players”—Peter Giblin, The Mathematical GazetteFinalist in the  PROSE Awards mathematics category, sponsored by the Association of American Publishers“Yau and Nadis’s The Shape of a Life opens a window into the fascinating mind and world of today’s equivalent of Apollonius of Perga, ‘The Great Geometer’ of antiquity.”—Mario Livio, author of Brilliant Blunders"The interesting life of a remarkably influential modern mathematician."—Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study“This book tells a fascinating story of a life lived between multiple cultures—China and the West, and mathematics and physics. Yau's journey from poverty in Hong Kong to the top levels of the mathematics world was not a simple one.”—Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study"Candid, deep, and truly inspiring, The Shape of a Life is studded with unexpected insights into Yau's thinking. An extraordinary story about an extraordinary person."—Gish Jen, author of The Girl at the Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap“The remarkable story of one of the world's most accomplished mathematicians, Shing-Tung Yau, who has made profound contributions in pure mathematics, general relativity, and string theory. Yau’s personal journey—from escaping China as a youngster, leading a gang outside Hong Kong, becoming captivated by mathematics, to making breakthroughs that thrust him on the world stage—inspires us all with humankind's irrepressible spirit of discovery.”—Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe