Einstein's Dreams

A modern classic, Einstein's Dreams fictionalises Albert Einstein as a young scientist who is troubled by dreams as he works on his theory of relativity in 1905. The book consists of 30 chapters, each exploring one dream about time that Einstein had during this period. Each dream involves a different conception of time. In one, time is circular, so people are fated to repeat triumphs and failures over and over. In another, there is a place where time stands still, visited by lovers, and parents clinging to their children. The book demonstrates the relationship each human being has to time, and thus spiritually affirms Einstein's theory of relativity. Now translated into thirty languages, Einstein's Dreams has inspired playwrights, dancers, musicians and painters all over the world. In poetic vignettes, it explores the connections between science and art, the process of creativity, and ultimately the fragility of human existence.

About the Author

Alan Lightman is a novelist, essayist, physicist, and educator. Currently, he is Adjunct Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is married to Jean Greenblatt Lightman, a painter, and has two daughters, Elyse and Kara.