Covering the life and enduring impact of the late mathematical prodigy Srinivasa Ramanujan and the influence he had on the life and career of Ken Ono, this book presents a powerful biographical diptych of two great mathematicians.
Ono was inspired to become a mathematician from the life and scientific quests of Ramanujan; Ramanujan's story guided Ono throughout his life, giving him hope when he needed it most. Although they never met, Ono believes a letter sent from Ramanujan's widow to his father, then a prominent Japanese mathematician, was a sign. This was the beginning of Ono's mission to carry on Ramanujan's legacy, and to develop Ramanujan's ideas within the context of modern mathematics.
Since then, Ono has spent his academic life trying to solve the mysteries that G.H. Hardy, one of the greatest English mathematicians of the 20th century, and others could not unravel: to find how Ramanujan came to his mathematical truths (which he claimed the Indian goddess Namagiri would tell him in dreams). In this way, Ono retraces the steps of Ramanujan's life throughout his career, drawing inspiration and strength for his own life from the travails and ultimate triumphs of his predecessor's brilliant, but tragically short, career.