MathFiction: The Strange Case of Mr. Jean D. (Joao Filipe Queiro)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Strange Case of Mr. Jean D. (1983)

Joao Filipe Queiro
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Published in the Mathematical Intelligencer magazine (Math.Intell. 5, 3 78-90 (1983)) this is the story of a mathematician who has a nightmare: Pi is rational! (Thanks to Nuno Crato for the suggestion.)

(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 The Strange Case of Mr. Jean D.

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

Uncle Georg's Attic by Ben Schumacher
Mathematically Bent by Colin Adams
The Tachypomp by Edward Page Mitchell
The Case of the Murdered Mathematician by Julia Barnes / Kathy Ivey
Division by Zero by Ted Chiang
Euclid Alone by William F. Orr
Into Thin Air by Colin Adams
The Universal Library [Die Universalbibliothek] by Kurd Lasswitz
The Mathematician's Nightmare: The Vision of Professor Squarepunt by Bertrand Russell
The Monkey in Hilbert's Hotel by K. B. Basant

Ratings for The Strange Case of Mr. Jean D.:

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:
3/5 (1 votes)

Literary Quality:
5/5 (1 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Humorous, Didactic,
Motif
Topic	Algebra/Arithmetic/Number Theory,
Medium	Short Stories,

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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)