Einstein's Dreams
Alan Lightman's 1992 novel imagines the dreams of a young patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland in the spring of 1905, on the brink of publishing the special theory of relativity. Each of the book's thirty short chapters is the dream of a different version of time, in one world time stands still in the center of the city, in another time runs backward, in another effects precede their causes, and around each premise Lightman builds a quiet, complete short story about how love and grief and ambition would actually feel under that physics. Around the dreams, three short interludes show Einstein and his friend Michele Besso talking by the river. A physicist himself, Lightman handles the science gently and lets the human parable do the work. Spare, lyrical, and unforgettable. A foundational title in physics-inflected literary fiction.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Einstein's Dreams
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In Bern, 1905, a young patent clerk named Albert Einstein is finishing his theory of relativity. Between scenes of his daily life, the novel imagines thirty short worlds, each one a place where time behaves differently.
Einstein's Dreams is a novel composed of 30 short interlocking dreams Einstein supposedly has during 1905 while developing his theory of relativity. Each dream depicts a world with different physics of time. It works as both a novel and a story collection.
No. Einstein's Dreams is short, around 140 pages, with brief poetic chapters. The prose is accessible and lyrical. It is often recommended as crossover reading for science fiction readers and literary fiction readers alike.
Einstein's Dreams was written by Alan P. Lightman, published in 1993 by Er Ya.
Einstein's Dreams is 179 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Einstein's Dreams takes most readers 3 to 4 hours to finish.
Einstein's Dreams is a standalone novel by Alan P. Lightman, not part of a series.
Einstein's Dreams is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.