The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 1991

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Key Figures

Srinivāsa Ramanujan

The book’s primary biographical focus is on Ramanujan. Of humble origins, Ramanujan rose to become one of the foremost mathematicians of the 20th century. As a person, Ramanujan was highly regarded, and Kanigel often portrays him in this light. His life story coincides with World War I and the colonization of India by the British. The historical background that Kanigel provides helps place Ramanujan’s life in context and gives a fuller sense of the world Ramanujan existed in.

Ramanujan insisted that he obtained his mathematical gifts from divine sources, and he saw his insights almost as revelations from unknown and mysterious sources. His mother was influential in this regard, and his upbringing took place within traditional Hindu religious practice. He was a Brahmin, and in the Indian caste system, these were the people most likely to adhere strictly to religious fundamentals and tenets. Though he was supremely confident in his abilities and gifts, Ramanujan was also highly self-conscious. He loathed the idea that others would not see him as the genius he considered himself to be, and when he suffered a setback, he often responded dramatically. The book recounts a few notable occasions when Ramanujan, after suffering some kind of failure, disappeared for days at a time, and even once attempted suicide. He was very sensitive to what others thought of him, but not at the expense of being a pushover. He was often quarrelsome, especially toward the end of his life, when he was very ill. Ramanujan first became ill while at Cambridge, and by the time he returned to India, his tuberculosis (initially misdiagnosed) had advanced to the point where his last days were full of pain and suffering. He died in 1920, but his legacy lives on as his work is even now studied by mathematicians.

G. H. Hardy

Kanigel devotes an entire chapter to G. H. Hardy’s biography, and though he is not the only person who receives some biographical treatment, his is the most substantial. A brilliant mathematician in his own right, the attention that Kanigel pays Hardy is significant because in some ways, Ramanujan’s monumental legend exists in large part due to Hardy’s influence. Raised by educators, Hardy was brought up in the newly forming English middle class. He went to Cranleigh, a public school that served others like him. This middle-class sensibility was an important influence in how Hardy would see the world. He was not of the gentry class and did not seem to have the typical biases that others of this class had. He had a much more open mind as a result, and he did not view Ramanujan as a threat to his own reputation. Instead, he saw in Ramanujan a truly gifted individual, but one who had not been formally trained.

Hardy was a generally well-liked man, but he did not make many intimate friends throughout his life. He was somewhat closed off to people, and Kanigel implies that his outward persona was much different than the self-doubtful man underneath. As much as Hardy and Ramanujan worked together, Hardy did not know much of Ramanujan’s life story. He did not usually see the need to get to know people on a deep level. However, though he was apprehensive of close friendship, he was nonetheless capable of forming a very good working relationship with Ramanujan, a man from an entirely different culture, and this included Ramanujan’s Hinduism. Hardy was a devout atheist, and he recognized that Ramanujan was religious. However, this still did not intrude upon Hardy’s esteem for Ramanujan. While the two were seemingly polar opposites in many ways, Hardy never let this negatively affect their work.

Komalatammal

Kanigel notes that the mother-son relationship in India, especially during Ramanujan’s time, was tightly bound. As Ramanujan’s mother, Komalatammal was no exception. Komalatammal was protective of the young Ramanujan and schooled him in the traditions of his Brahmin caste; however, she also encouraged his intellectual curiosity and afforded him the space to pursue it. Komalatammal impressed upon Ramanujan her belief in the value of a religious life, an influence that remained with her son always. Kanigel notes that she had a fierce self-will, another trait passed onto her son.

As Ramanujan grew into young adulthood, and after he experienced the first of his two college failures, Komalatammal intervened in his life and arranged his marriage with Janaki. After Ramanujan left for England, Komalatammal asserted ever more control over Janaki and began controlling the written correspondence between Janaki and her son. As an unintended consequence, not receiving letters from Janaki caused Ramanujan great distress while in England. After Ramanujan returned home, Komalatammal was ever-present in his life and oftentimes sought to include herself in Janaki and Ramanujan’s growing relationship. This led to a climactic moment in which Ramanujan directly disobeyed his mother’s commands, thereby straining their relationship as his death was near. Komalatammal’s loyalty was immense, and Kanigel implies that it was perhaps over-the-top at times. However, throughout the book, he provides a fair treatment of her as a person and as a generally loving and caring mother who was more influential in Ramanujan’s life than anyone else.