http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9775-russian-mathematics-genius-shuns-the-spotlight.html
This is from a real article but it reads like a parody. Here are some selected quotes that make it sound like something orchestrated for the Marx Brothers by S. J. Pearlman (not the subject, G. Perelman). The hermit in Andorra is a nice touch.
- Jed
Russian mathematics genius shuns the spotlight
The world of mathematics is in uproar over rumours that its most prestigious prize will be turned down next week by one of its brightest stars.The Fields Medal . . . is due to be presented by the King of Spain in a ceremony in Madrid on Tuesday 22 August.
But Gregori Perelman, who has been widely tipped to receive it, has resigned his post at the Steklov Institute of Mathematics in St Petersburg, Russia, and gone to ground. Nobody knows where he is, says Marcus du Sautoy, a mathematician at Oxford University in the UK. Perelman is thought to have become disillusioned with mathematics and disassociated himself from the field.
Perelman achieved fame in the mathematics world for his work on the Poincaré Conjecture . . .
Perelman's proof . . . published in 2002, received widespread admiration for its inventiveness, even though mathematicians have yet to officially pronounce on its validity. The consensus is that it is probably correct, says du Sautoy.
In 1966, the German mathematician Alexander Grothendieck refused to pick up his award . . . although he did later accept it. But Grothendieck also became disillusioned with mathematics and left the field. He is now believed to be living as a hermit in Andorra.
