MathFiction: Mulligan Stew (Gilbert Sorrentino)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Mulligan Stew (1979)

Gilbert Sorrentino
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An avant garde novel, or a parody of one, presented in the form of a collection of letters, notes, papers and other writings. Includes Cardano's formula, plus a full length parody of a mathematics research paper.

Contributed by Dennis Perkinson

"I believe that it will eventually be recognized as a pivotal work (hence the high literary rating). Though I had not thought of it in terms of mathematical content. (Thank you!)"

More information about this work can be found at www.amazon.com.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to Mulligan Stew

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by László Krasznahorkai
The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett
Nymphomation by Jeff Noon
Mother's Milk by Andrew Thomas Breslin
Mathematicians in Love by Rudy Rucker
The Sinister Researches of C.P. Ransom by Homer C. Nearing Jr.
Bellwether by Connie Willis

Ratings for Mulligan Stew:

Ratings

Have you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.

Mathematical Content:
2.17/5 (6 votes)

Literary Quality:
4.33/5 (6 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Humorous,
Motif
Topic	Fictional Mathematics,
Medium	Novels,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)