The unimaginable mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel
- Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2008
- xx, 192 p. ; ill., 22 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
The Library of Babel is arguably Jorge Luis Borges' best known story--memorialized along with Borges on an Argentine postage stamp. Now, in The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel, William Goldbloom Bloch takes readers on a fascinating tour of the mathematical ideas hidden within one of the classic works of modern literature. Written in the vein of Douglas R. Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize-winning Godel, Escher, Bach, this original and imaginative book sheds light on one of Borges' most complex, richly layered works. Bloch begins each chapter with a mathematical idea- The Library of Babel is arguably Jorge Luis Borges' best known story. Now, in The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel, William Goldbloom Bloch takes readers on a fascinating tour of the mathematical ideas hidden within one of the' classic works of modern literature. Bloch begins each chapter with a mathematical idea - combinatorics, topology, geometry, information theory - followed by examples and illustrations that put flesh on the theoretical bones. In this way, he provides many insights into Borges' Library.
9780195334579 (hbk)
Borges, Jorge Luis, 1899-1986 Knowledge Mathematics Mathematics Philosophy Mathematics and literature