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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'I have wished so many times that I had acted differently.
I wish that I had been more worthy of you...
Eventually the war will end, and then we will find each other.
'Until then, remember me.
'Budapest, 1938. In a city park, beneath a bleakly looming statue, five Jewish mathematicians gather to share ideas, trade proofs and whisper sedition. Expelled from the university and persecuted by the state's laws, they live in an uneasy but not unhappy bubble of work, friendship and slim plans of escape.
'Sydney, 2007. Illy has just buried her father, a violent, unpredictable man whose bitterness she never understood. And now, the day after his funeral, Illy's mother has gifted her a curious notebook. Its faded pages are a mix of personal stories and mathematical discovery, all recounted by a young woman seemingly blind to Europe's coming storm. A woman very different to the mother and grandmother everybody knows.
'Inspired by a true story, Miriam Sved's beautifully crafted novel charts a course through both the light and dark of human relationships: a vivid recreation of Hungary before German occupation, a decades-old mystery locked in the histories of five students, and a story about the selfless power of love, even years and worlds apart.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Notes
-
Dedication: In memory of Marta Sved, who loved mathematics and also stories. I hope she wouldn't mind the liberties I've taken with both.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Large print.
Works about this Work
-
Miriam Sved, A Universe of Sufficient Size
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Colloquy : Text Theory Critique , December no. 38 2019;
— Review of A Universe of Sufficient Size 2019 single work novel'Miriam Sved’s A Universe of Sufficient Size is a novel on limits and limitations. This theme is present on several levels throughout the novel, particularly in terms of the historical context and the mathematical element that plays a crucial role in the development of the plot.' (Introduction)
-
It All Adds up with Maths-like Precision
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 6 April 2019; (p. 21)
— Review of A Universe of Sufficient Size 2019 single work novel'The purity of mathematics has inspired a number of significant writers. Lewis Carroll, for example, incorporated mathematical concepts with hilarious absurdist themes in the narratives of all Alice books.' (Introduction)
-
Order in Chaos
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 410 2019; (p. 42)'At the front of Miriam Sved’s A Universe of Sufficient Size is a black-and-white photograph of a statue. The cloaked figure holding a pen (‘like a literary grim reaper’, reflects one char (Introduction)acter) is the statue of Anonymous in Budapest, a significant setting in the book. Its inclusion is a reminder that the novel draws on the story of the author’s grandmother, mathematician Marta Sved (née Wachsberger).'
-
It All Adds up with Maths-like Precision
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 6 April 2019; (p. 21)
— Review of A Universe of Sufficient Size 2019 single work novel'The purity of mathematics has inspired a number of significant writers. Lewis Carroll, for example, incorporated mathematical concepts with hilarious absurdist themes in the narratives of all Alice books.' (Introduction)
-
Miriam Sved, A Universe of Sufficient Size
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Colloquy : Text Theory Critique , December no. 38 2019;
— Review of A Universe of Sufficient Size 2019 single work novel'Miriam Sved’s A Universe of Sufficient Size is a novel on limits and limitations. This theme is present on several levels throughout the novel, particularly in terms of the historical context and the mathematical element that plays a crucial role in the development of the plot.' (Introduction)
-
Order in Chaos
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 410 2019; (p. 42)'At the front of Miriam Sved’s A Universe of Sufficient Size is a black-and-white photograph of a statue. The cloaked figure holding a pen (‘like a literary grim reaper’, reflects one char (Introduction)acter) is the statue of Anonymous in Budapest, a significant setting in the book. Its inclusion is a reminder that the novel draws on the story of the author’s grandmother, mathematician Marta Sved (née Wachsberger).'
Awards
- 2020 shortlisted Colin Roderick Award
-
Budapest,
cHungary,cEastern Europe, Europe,
- Sydney, New South Wales,
- 1938
- 2007
