A MATHEMATICIAN’S APOLOGY

Godfrey Harold Hardy

From the school bench, he was so modest and shy that he deliberately gave incorrect answers in exams in order to avoid the fate of being awarded the honor of the winner. But this did not help; the awards still went to him.

He was such a “pure mathematician” that he even published his textbook under the title “Course of Pure Mathematics”!

The brilliant Cambridge mathematician Harold Hardy. His book has some autobiographical descriptions, but it is not an autobiography. It is very "English", very English-style respectable. On its pages there is a place for an academic atmosphere and leisure, friendship, significant meetings, and subtle humor. But the main subject of this book is creativity. And passion. It describes how doing math is a creative artist's journey and drama. It is permeated with admiration for the mathematical profession. However, it also expresses sadness that mathematical inspiration, like youth, is fleeting, and once gone, it does not return ...