Summary of Measuring the WorldÂ
The historical novel “Measuring the World” recounts the lives of two German Enlightenment scientists at the beginning of the 19th century: the geographer Alexander von Humboldt and the mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. The novel contrasts their different approaches to understanding the world: Humboldt by travelling through South America (the Orinoco region, the Andes, and beyond), exploring forests, mountains, and rivers, meticulously measuring and cataloguing his observations; Gauss by remaining at home in Göttingen, carrying out his geometric calculations. In old age, the two finally meet in Berlin in 1828, but the encounter is far from harmonious.
Reasons to read Measuring the World
“Measuring the World” is a compelling – though fictionalised – portrayal of the lives and characters of two scientists who were celebrated in their time but are now less widely known. This historical novel – a bestseller in Germany and abroad – succeeds in setting these contrasting figures against one another and paints a vivid picture of their lives and their times. Daniel Kehlmann is a German-Austrian author, who received many German literary awards, including the 2006 Kleist Prize, the 2008 Thomass Mann Prize, and the 2018 Friedrich Hölderlin Prize. Other notable works by Kehlmann include “Tyll”, “Fame”, and “Me and Kaminski”.
Setting: Germany & South America
Book set in Germany (Göttingen, Berlin) and South America.
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Original title: Die Vermessung der Welt
Year of publication: 2005
Nr of pages: 272
