Science in literature. A journey through the history of science through the eyes of writers of all ages

BOOK REVIEW

SCIENCE IN LITERATURE. A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WRITERS OF ALL AGES

Author: Xavier Duran From the reader report by: Rodrigo Petronio

There is debate as to exactly when the closer relations between science and literature began. Some authors believe that this interface started in a more systematic way from the 19th century onward. Others, like Adam Roberts, look for the origins of science fiction and the deep relations between science and literature in Antiquity. This is the same premise as Xavier Duran’s. More than defining a genre, the book is a broad, exhaustive, and classical exploration of all the appearances of science in literature. More than a history of science fiction, the work seeks to describe science in fiction.

The book begins with Chekhov’s famous parable in one of his letters to Suvórin, the editor of one of the newspapers for which he collaborated. In it, the writer physician says that medicine and literature are, respectively, his wife and his lover. And the book ends with the well-known image of physicist and writer Charles Percy Snow about the two cultures: the culture of human sciences and the culture of natural sciences. Both cultures have seemingly irreversibly forked at some point in history. Could they be reunited? Snow’s image has served as ground for every current debate on transdisciplinarity. Duran starts from it to dissect the relations between science and literature in the last fifty years.

Xavier Duran has a degree in Chemical Sciences and a doctorate in Communication Sciences from the Universitat Autónoma of Barcelona. He writes to numerous newspapers and magazines. Duran’s book is exceptional. One of the best science popularization books I have ever read. It is erudite, largely documented, fluent, didactic, and quite extensive in its artistic, technical, literary, and scientific references.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS BR

UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA

Title

SCIENCE IN LITERATURE. A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE THROUGH THE EYES OF WRITERS OF ALL AGES LA CIENCIA EN LA LITERATURA. UN VIAJE POR LA HISTORIA DE LA CIENCIA VISTA POR ESCRITORES DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS

Author Xavier Duran Pages 396

ISBN 978-84-47540-74-7 Year of publication 2018 Number of editions 1 Language Spanish Spanish retail price 25.00 €

Author’s biography: Xavier Duran has a degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Science Communication from the Autònoma University of Barcelona. He has collaborated with numerous newspapers and magazines. Between 1999 and 2014 he directed TV3’s El medi ambient (The environment) and is currently the specialist editor for science with the information services at the same TV channel. He has won many literary prizes, including: the Joan Fuster, the Josep Vallverdú and the Joaquim Xirau, for essays; the Marià Vayreda for literature; and the European prize for Science Communication Estudi General, for the popularisation of science.

Synopsis: Ever since people have been writing literature, authors have incorporated scientific ideas into their work either as metaphors, or as resources to enrich their descriptive writing. Some authors have even given science and technology a central role in their work whether that be for the purposes of extolling the advances achieved, or to critique scientific principles or the possible consequences of technology. This book offers an unprecedented view of the presence of science in literature and takes the reader on a journey through the universal world of letters from Homer to Italo Calvino, stopping off with Montaigne, Cervantes, and Goethe as well as some of the giants of Russian literature and the poets of the 20th century (to mention but a few of the 600 writers named in this work). Using a distinctive and innovative prism, this book throws a light on scientific research and its advances and setbacks.

Publisher: Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona is an academic and cultural publisher based in Barcelona. Our catalogue (edicions.ub.edu) comprises more than 1,800 items currently in print and has been recognised through various prizes awarded over the last few years.

Publishing rights available from: Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona - CIF Q0818001J Adolf Florensa 8 - 08028 BCN, Barcelona, Barcelona www.edicions.ub.edu Contact: Joachim De Nys [drets.edicions@ub.edu] Phone: (+34) 934 035 442

Reviews and prizes: National prize for university publishing, 2019 for the best work in science communication, awarded by the Union of Spanish University Publishers (Unión de Editoriales Universitarias Españolas: UNE)