As a celebration of our alumni, each month we will highlight a new book written by one of
Oxford's alumni.
Our October 2024 book is "Beyond Genius: A Journey Through The Characteristics and Legacies of Transformative Minds"
by Bulent Atalay (Hertford College, 1972).
Bulent Atalay—a scientist, artist, author, and lecturer—has been described by NPR, PBS, and the Washington Post as a “Modern Renaissance Man.” His academic background is in theoretical physics, distilled from work at Georgetown, University of California - Berkeley, Princeton, Oxford, and the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.
He is the author of three books on the intersection of art, science, and mathematics. The first two—Math and the Mona Lisa (Smithsonian Books, 2004) and Leonardo's Universe (National Geographic Books, 2009)—focused mainly on Leonardo da Vinci. In his recently released third and most ambitious book, he widens his study to include five “transformative geniuses,” each just as important in his respective field as the supreme polymath Leonardo. Like other human qualities, genius comes in degrees, from “ordinary genius” to “transformative genius.” Beyond Genius (Pegasus Books) examines the internal and external factors that created Leonardo, Shakespeare, Newton, Beethoven, and Einstein, two artists, two scientists, and a scientist-artist who straddles both cultures.
You can purchase "Beyond Genius: A Journey Through The Characteristics and Legacies of Transformative Minds" here.
Are you an alumni author?
If you have written a book which was published within the last three years, or is due to be released soon, please email us the following information.
Your full name
A high-quality headshot
A short bio
Alumni number (or college/year of matriculation)
Title of book
Date of publication
ISBN
Link to purchase the book online
We thank you for sharing your books with us, and will let you know if you are selected for a feature in the coming months.
Please visit our archive page to look back at previous Alumni Authors