The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

The Letter

Kanigel details the contents of Ramanujan’s first letter to Hardy: a humble introduction followed by some nine pages of his formulas and theorems. Like many in India, Hardy did not know what to make of Ramanujan at first, and he sought the advice of his close associates, among them John Littlewood, a notable mathematician in his own right. Kanigel detours briefly to provide a backstory on Littlewood before returning to the letter. After much analysis of Ramanujan’s math, some of which Kanigel outlines and describes in this section, Hardy and Littlewood agreed that Ramanujan possessed a great, albeit unorthodoxly presented, gift for mathematics. Unlike the previous two Trinity fellows, Baker and Hobson, whom Ramanujan had initially contacted, Hardy was open to the possibility that he had discovered a diamond in the rough. Kanigel attributes this open-mindedness to Hardy’s middle-class education.

“I Have Found in You a Friend…”

Hardy showed Ramanujan’s first letter around Cambridge, and it caused quite a sensation. Kanigel breaks down Hardy’s response to Ramanujan, in which he compliments Ramanujan but challenges him to provide proofs for his theorems. Thus began a correspondence between the two men; Hardy would eventually offer Ramanujan acceptance into Cambridge. However, Hardy’s praise of Ramanujan also helped validate him in India, which meant that his career began taking off there.