The goddess of small victories

"Princeton University 1980. Kurt Gödel, the most fascinating, though hermetic, mathematician of the twentieth century, has just died of anorexia. His widow, Adele, a fierce woman shunned by her husband's colleagues because she had been a cabaret dancer, is now consigned to a nursing home....

Full description

Main Author: Grannec, Yannick (Author)
Other Authors: Wood, Willard (Translator)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
French
Published: New York : Other Press, [2014]
Subjects:
Summary: "Princeton University 1980. Kurt Gödel, the most fascinating, though hermetic, mathematician of the twentieth century, has just died of anorexia. His widow, Adele, a fierce woman shunned by her husband's colleagues because she had been a cabaret dancer, is now consigned to a nursing home. To the great annoyance of the Institute of Advanced Studies, she refuses to hand over Gödel's precious records. Anna Roth, the timid daughter of two mathematicians who are part of the Princeton clique, is given the difficult task of befriending Adele and retrieving the documents from her. As Adele begins to notice Anna's own estrangement from her milieu and starts to trust her, she opens the gates of her memory and together they travel back to Vienna during the Nazi era, Princeton right after the war, the pressures of McCarthyism, the end of the positivist ideal, and the advent of nuclear weapons. It is this epic story of a genius who could never quite find his place in the world, and the determination of the woman who loved him, that will eventually give Anna the courage to change her own life."--From publisher's website.
Item Description: Translation of: La déesse des petites victoires.
"A love story"--Jacket.
Physical Description: 458 pages : illustration ; 22 cm
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (page 450).
ISBN: 9781590516362 (hbk.)
1590516362 (hbk.)
Author Notes: " Yannick Grannec is a graphic designer and illustrator. After obtaining a degree in the Sciences, she began studying art and joined Les Ateliers, where she received a degree in design. A Freelance Art Director, Professor of Fine Arts in Reims, and enthusiast of Mathematics, she lives in Saint Paul de Vence. This is her first novel. Willard Wood has translated widely from the French, including The Last Rendezvous by Anne Plantagenet (Other Press) and the novels of the Goncourt Prize-winning author Jean-Christophe Rufin. A recent NEA Fellow in Translation, he lives and works in Connecticut. The author lives in Saint Paul de Vence, France."