The maniac
by Benjamín Labatut · first published 2023
64% recommend36% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A fictionalized biography of John von Neumann and the birth of AI, told through several people in his life. The prose is eloquent, and the take is surreal and unusual. Suited to those curious about von Neumann.
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I recently read 'Maniac' by Benjamin Labatut, which also tracks the life of Johnny von Neumann. It is a wonderful read - very eloquently put together, giving accounts of the man from the perspectives of several people in his…
on “A Man from the Future: Why Johnny Can't Stop Abstracting” ↗Anyone interested in von Newmann should read The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
on “The Legend of von Neumann (1973) [pdf]” ↗If you’re looking for a dramatic, fictionalized biography of Von Neumann and surrounding characters, I highly recommend The MANIAC: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-maniac-benjamin-labatut/196...
on “What John von Neumann did at Los Alamos (2020)” ↗Mostly non fiction The Vortex by carney and miklian Flying Blind by Peter Robison The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
on “Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?” ↗The Maniac, by Benjamin Labatut. It’s a fictionalised biography of John von Nuemann and the birth of artificial intelligence. Amazing , surreal and unique
on “Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?” ↗Recently I enjoyed very much The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_MANIAC
on “The Legend of von Neumann (1973) [pdf]” ↗Seconding this. Maniac is a beautifully written book about von Neumann. It also led me to Benjamin Labatut's When We Cease to Understand the World, another great read.
on “A Man from the Future: Why Johnny Can't Stop Abstracting” ↗The novel referred to in this article is "The Maniac" by Benjamin Labatut. (Article is paywalled)
on “The Smartest Man Who Ever Lived” ↗Benjamín Labatut - The Maniac, a novelized biography about the mathematician and computer science pioneer John von Neumann. The story of his life was absolute fascinating for me, unfortunately the last part of the book attempts a…
on “Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?” ↗Interestingly, von Neumann's daughter was kind of shocked by the research the author did for the book The MANIAC; as a kid she carried graph paper in her pocket and Labatut had somehow found this out in his research and put it into the book, really blew her away I guess.
on “Alexander Grothendieck Revolutionized 20th-Century Mathematics” ↗I recently came across Barricelli reading Labatut's book "The MANIAC"
on “The Patterns of Barricelli (2024)” ↗