Crossing the Equal Sign
Crossing the Equal Sign by Marion Deutsche Cohen, published by Plain View Press in January 2007, is a collection of poetry that intertwines the realms of mathematics and emotion. This 116-page work presents a unique exploration of life’s complexities through the lens of mathematical metaphor, allowing readers to engage with both tangible and intangible experiences.
In this edition, Cohen delves into the intersections of visible and invisible elements, using poetry to reflect on the delights and frustrations of life. The poems traverse various levels of understanding, inviting readers to contemplate the connections between literary and mathematical sensibilities. Through her innovative approach, Cohen emphasizes the human and emotional aspects of mathematics, offering insights that resonate with both mathematicians and poetry enthusiasts alike.
Official synopsis Publisher
Marion Cohen is equally mathematician and poet. Using mathematical metaphor, she touches deeply into issues of life and heart. In each poem she crosses the equal sign on many levels, beginning with visible points, lines, numbers. . . crossing over to life’s invisible-yet-tangible delights and frustrations. . . and crossing back again with insights gleaned from these reflections.
Barbara E. Reynolds, SDS, Mathematics and Computer Science, Cardinal Stritch University
Marion is one of the few poets who can successfully explore the join between the literary and the mathematical sensibilities, and no one does it as well as she.
Jet Foncannon, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Drexel University
Millay wrote that “Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare,” but Marion Cohen looks on Beauty doing a slow strip-tease. Her poetry aches and anguishes and anticipates as she chronicles what it is like to almost — but not quite — (but perhaps truly) unveil Mathematics and gaze upon her lovely face.
Annalisa Crannell, Department of Mathematics, Franklin and Marshall College, Co-author, Writing Projects for Mathematics Courses: Crushed Clowns, Cars, And Coffee to Go.
Far from being a cold, calculating robot, ‘a mathematician who is not something of a poet will never be a first-rate mathematician’ (Weierstrass, 19th century). In this delightful book, Marion Cohen reminds us of this oft-forgotten human and emotional side of mathematics.
Gregory Chaitin, Author of Meta Math! The Quest for Omega
. . . elegaic evocations enhanced by mathematical metaphors.
John Allen Paulos, Math Dept, Temple University, Author of Innumeracy and Once Upon a Number
. . . highly original
Anne Hudson, Poetry Editor of Facets
ISBN: 978-1891386-69-5, $14.95
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