Biography - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Audio Spotlight: ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA

Posted on Friday, April 10th, 2020

In these strange and difficult times, we thought it might be nice to offer some audiobook recommendations (to go along with your other books). Today, we’re starting with some non-fiction: Andrew Hodges‘s acclaimed biography ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, which is published by Audible. Here’s the synopsis…

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

The book was the basis for the Oscar-winning movie The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kiera Knightley. The print and eBook editions of the book are published by Vintage (UK), Princeton University Press (North America) and widely in translation.

Next Weekend: Andrew Hodges Event!

Posted on Friday, September 13th, 2019

Next Sunday, September 22nd, Andrew Hodges will be at MK Lit Fest! The author of the best-selling biography ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, Andrew will be in conversation with Sir Dermot Turing, Alan Turing’s nephew. The event is ticketed, and you can find more information about it, here.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is out now, published by Vintage in the UK and Princeton University Press in the US. The biography was also the basis for the Oscar-winning movie, THE IMITATION GAME.

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

Here are just a few of the great reviews the biography has received…

‘A first-rate presentation of the life of a first-rate scientific mind… it is hard to imagine a more thoughtful and warm biography than this one.’ — New York Times Book Review

‘One of the finest scientific biographies I’ve ever read: authoritative, superbly researched, deeply sympathetic and beautifully told.’ — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind

‘Andrew Hodge’s book is of exemplary scholarship and sympathy. Intimate, perceptive and insightful, it’s also the most readable biography I’ve picked up in some time.’ — Time Out

‘One of the finest scientific biographies ever written.’ — New Yorker

‘This rather shadowy figure has now finally been lifted into the light of day… it has to be said that Andrew Hodges has put together an extraordinary story.’ — Sunday Telegraph

‘Life and work are both made enthralling by Hodges, himself a scientist.’ — Sunday Times

‘Andrew Hodges, in this fine biography… brings Turing the thinker and Turing the man alive for the reader and thus allows us all to share in the privilege of knowing him.’ — Financial Times

Alan Turing to be on the New £50 Note!

Posted on Thursday, July 18th, 2019

Earlier this week, the Bank of England announced that Alan Turing will be on the new £50! This is very cool news, and we thought it was also a good time to point you in the direction of ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, the best-selling and critically-acclaimed biography by Andrew Hodges! Published by Vintage in the UK, and Princeton University Press in the US, here’s the synopsis…

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

The biography was also adapted into the Academy Award-winning movie, THE IMITATION GAME, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightly, Charles Dance and more. The book has also been published widely in translation.

Andrew Hodges on the History of AI, Alan Turing and more!

Posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018

Andrew Hodges, author of the critically-acclaimed biography ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA was recently interviewed for the University of Oxford’s Futuremakers Podcast. Here’s the episode’s intro…

Many developments in science are achieved through people being able to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’ and in the history of AI two giants in particular stand out. Ada Lovelace, who inspired visions of computer creativity, and Alan Turing, who conceived machines which could do anything a human could do. So where do their stories, along with those of calculating engines, punched card machines and cybernetics fit into to where artificial intelligence is today?

Join our host, philosopher Peter Millican, as he explores this topic with Ursula Martin, Professor at the University of Edinburgh and a member of Oxford’s Mathematical Institute, Andrew Hodges, Emeritus Fellow at Wadham, who tutors for a wide range of courses in pure and applied mathematics, and Jacob Ward, a historian of science, technology, and modern Britain and a Postdoctoral Researcher in the History of Computing.

Andrew’s aforementioned book is published by Vintage in the UK, Princeton University Press in the US, and widely in translation. Here’s the synopsis…

The official book behind the Academy Award-winning film The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

Czech out this new paperback edition of ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA…

Posted on Thursday, November 22nd, 2018

Andrew Hodges‘s critically-acclaimed ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is available now as a paperback in Czechia. Published by Jota, here’s the synopsis…

Alan Turing se zapsal do historie jako vynikající matematik a zakladatel moderní informatiky, jehož práce na prolomení německých kódů rozhodujícím způsobem ovlivnila průběh druhé světové války. Stydlivého absolventa Cambridge, obdařeného brilantní logikou a technickým nadáním si povšimli britští zpravodajci a od roku 1938 ho zaměstnávali ve svém kryptoanalytickém oddělení, sídlícím v Bletchley Parku. První velký úspěch slavil Alan Turing v roce 1940, kdy jeho stroje rozluštily šifrované zprávy německého letectva. Poté se spolupracovníky obrátil pozornost k prolomení dokonaleji zabezpečené komunikace nepřátelských ponorek. Jeho schopnosti a vizionářství ovšem sahaly mnohem dále. Ještě před válkou přišel s konceptem univerzálního stroje, jenž se v roce 1945 zhmotnil do prvního návrhu programovatelného počítače. Turingův smělý rozlet na prahu počítačové éry však v roce 1952 zastavilo odhalení jeho homosexuality, které z něj učinilo společenského vyvrhele a vystavilo ho ponižujícímu zacházení. O dva roky později, zavržený okolím, svůj život dobrovolně ukončil a Velká Británie tak ztratila jednoho ze svých největších vědců a myslitelů. Obsáhlá, zevrubná biografie se opírá o bohatý poznámkový aparát, text doplňuje fotografická příloha. Knižní předloha oscarového filmu Kód Enigmy s B. Cumberbatchem v hlavní roli.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published in the UK by Vintage, and in the US by Princeton University Press. The biography was also adapted into the Oscar-winning movie THE IMITATION GAME, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Charles Dance and Mark Strong.

As you can clearly see from these covers, ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA was adapted for screen as The Imitation Game. In case you haven’t seen the Oscar-winning movie, here’s the trailer…

French Documentary series about ALAN TURING, featuring Andrew Hodges

Posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2018

Earlier this month, France Culture broadcast a mini-documentary series about Alan Turing, the genius mathematician who cracked Germany’s Enigma Code (among other achievements). Andrew Hodges, author of ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA was a contributor to the series. All of the episodes are available from the France Culture website.

Hodges’s Turing biography published by Michel Lafon in France (and Canada), Here’s the synopsis…

Génie de l’informatique et héros de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Alan Turing est célèbre pour avoir décrypté les communications codées de l’armée allemande en venant à bout d’Enigma, la machine de chiffrement utilisée par les nazis, réputée inviolable.

Il faut dire que lorsqu’il « casse » le code secret allemand, à moins de 30 ans, le mathématicien n’en est pas à son premier coup d’éclat. Déjà, en 1936, il a dessiné les contours d’une première machine programmable, ou « machine de Turing », capable d’effectuer n’importe quel calcul mathématique : c’est l’ancêtre de l’ordinateur.

Après la guerre, Alan Turing poursuit ses recherches et se consacre en pionnier aux possibilités offertes par l’intelligence artificielle. Mais l’ex-héros national est persécuté à cause de son homosexualité et condamné en 1952 à la castration chimique. Deux années plus tard, à l’âge de 41 ans, Alan Turing met fin à ses jours en croquant une pomme empoisonnée au cyanure.

Cette biographie, qui mêle histoire des sciences, politique et philosophie, nous dévoile la vie hors norme de l’inventeur, longtemps méconnu, qui a révolutionné nos vies.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published by Vintage in the UK, and Princeton University Press in the US. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing.

A Turkish ENIGMA

Posted on Tuesday, December 5th, 2017

Andrew Hodges‘s best-selling and critically-acclaimed biography of ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is out now in Turkey! Published by KRP Yayıncılık as ENIGMA, here’s the synopsis…

Alan Turing, şifre çözümleri sayesinde İkinci Dünya Savaşı’nın kaderini değiştiren matematikçiydi. İngiliz İstihbaratı tarafından işe alınan bu utangaç Cambridge hocası, üstün bir mantığı mühendislik yeteneğiyle birleştirdi. 1940 yılında onun makineleri, Nazi Almanyası hava kuvvetlerinin Enigma tarafından şifrelenmiş mesajlarını çözüyordu. Daha sonra Alman denizaltıları-nın son derece gizli yazışmalarını deşifre etmeye yöneldi.

Fakat onun vizyonu, başarılarının çok ötesine ulaştı. Savaştan önce evrensel makine mefhumunu ortaya atmıştı ve 1945’te bunu, ilk dijital kompüter tasarımı hâline getirdi.

Turing’in, dijital çağa dair ileri görüşlü planları, yapay zekâ mefhumuna doğru hızla ilerledi. Fakat 1952 yılında, homoseksüelliği nedeniyle bir suçlu olarak addedildi ve aşağılayıcı muamelelere maruz kaldı. 1954 yılında, 41 yaşındayken Alan Turing, kendi hayatına son verdi.

The biography, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie THE IMITATION GAME, is published in the UK by Vintage and in the US by Princeton University Press. It has also now been published widely in translation. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

Here are just a few of the great reviews the books has received…

‘A first-rate presentation of the life of a first-rate scientific mind… it is hard to imagine a more thoughtful and warm biography than this one.’ — Douglas Hofstadter, New York Times Book Review

‘One of the finest scientific biographies ever written.’ — New Yorker

‘One of the finest scientific biographies I’ve ever read: authoritative, superbly researched, deeply sympathetic and beautifully told.’ — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind

‘Andrew Hodge’s book is of exemplary scholarship and sympathy. Intimate, perceptive and insightful, it’s also the most readable biography I’ve picked up in some time.’ — Time Out

‘Life and work are both made enthralling by Hodges, himself a scientist.’ — Sunday Times

‘Andrew Hodges, in this fine biography… brings Turing the thinker and Turing the man alive for the reader and thus allows us all to share in the privilege of knowing him.’ — Financial Times

Andrew Hodges delivers Strachey Lecture

Posted on Friday, November 18th, 2016

Last week, Andrew Hodges gave the Strachey Lecture at the University of Oxford, about Alan Turing’s ‘work and ideas from the definition of computability, the universal machine to the prospect of Artificial Intelligence‘. Below you can find a video of the event…

Andrew Hodges is the author of the best-selling ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, which is published in the UK by Vintage and in the US by Princeton University Press — it has also been published widely in translation. The biography was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie THE IMITATION GAME, in 2014. Here’s the synopsis…

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

Here is just a small sample from the many glowing reviews the book has received…

‘A first-rate presentation of the life of a first-rate scientific mind… it is hard to imagine a more thoughtful and warm biography than this one.’ — New York Times Book Review

‘One of the finest scientific biographies I’ve ever read: authoritative, superbly researched, deeply sympathetic and beautifully told.’ — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind

‘Andrew Hodge’s book is of exemplary scholarship and sympathy. Intimate, perceptive and insightful, it’s also the most readable biography I’ve picked up in some time.’ — Time Out

‘One of the finest scientific biographies ever written.’ — New Yorker

‘This rather shadowy figure has now finally been lifted into the light of day… it has to be said that Andrew Hodges has put together an extraordinary story.’ — Sunday Telegraph

‘Hodges’s biography is sensitive, sympathetic and uncompromisingly intellectual. The maths is extremely hard work – but helps the lay reader to appreciate the scale of Turing’s achievements.’ — Brandon Robsaw, Independent on Sunday

‘Life and work are both made enthralling by Hodges, himself a scientist.’ — Sunday Times

‘Andrew Hodges, in this fine biography… brings Turing the thinker and Turing the man alive for the reader and thus allows us all to share in the privilege of knowing him.’ — Financial Times

Andrew Hodges’s ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA Available in Chinese and Czech!

Posted on Thursday, October 20th, 2016

Two new editions of Andrew Hodges‘s masterful ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA have surfaced! The new Czech edition, above, is published by Nakladatelství Jota. Below is the re-issued Chinese edition, published by 湖南科学技术出版社 as 艾伦·图灵传—如谜的解谜者.

The biography, on which the Oscar-winning movie THE IMITATION GAME was based, is published in the UK by Vintage Books, and in the US by Princeton University Press. The book has also been published quite widely in translations (more details can be found on Andrew’s author page).

Here’s the English-language synopsis…

The official book behind the Academy Award-winning film The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

Here is a selection of the book’s various international covers…

Swedish Edition of ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA out now!

Posted on Friday, September 9th, 2016

Andrew Hodges‘s critically-acclaimed, bestselling ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, is available in Swedish! Published by Fri Tanke as ALAN TURING: DATAGENI, KODKNÄCKARE OCH GAYIKON, here’s the synopsis…

Den brittiska matematikern Alan Turing räddade de allierade från nazisterna, uppfann datorn, grundade forskningsfältet artificiell intelligens och förekom gayrörelsen med flera decennier – och allt detta innan fyrtioett års ålder då han tog sitt eget liv.

Andrew Hodges mångfacetterade och hyllande biografi över datavetenskapens grundare är ett djupgående porträtt av ett extraordinärt liv och intellekt. I en rörande berättelse om matematik, datorer, kryptografi och homofobi fångar Hodges både den inre och den yttre dramatiken i Turings liv.

Hodges beskriver hur Turings revolutionerande idé om en universell maskin redan 1936 lade grunden för den moderna datorn och hur Turing med sin elektroniska design förverkligande samma idé 1945.

Boken beskriver också hur detta arbete direkt relaterade till Turings nyckelroll i arbetet med att knäcka tyska kryptokoder under andra världskriget, en vetenskaplig bedrift som var väsentlig för att möjliggöra de allierades seger.

Men det är också en tragisk berättelse om en man som trots sitt stora bidrag till världsfreden och vetenskapen blev arresterad, och tvingades genomgå en förödmjukande behandling, bara för att han ville leva ett ärligt liv i ett samhälle som betraktade homosexualitet som ett brott.

Boken blev film 2015, med Benedict Cumberbatch och Keira Knightley i huvudrollerna.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published in the UK by Vintage, in the US by Princeton University Press, and has been published in translation many times. See Andrew’s author page for details, and please do get in touch for more information about rights available. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

The Oscar-winning The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley was based on ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA.

Andrew Hodges’s ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA Out in Japan

Posted on Wednesday, June 29th, 2016

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, Andrew Hodges‘s critically-acclaimed biography of the mathematician and father of computing, is available in Japan. Published by Keiso Shobo in two volumes as エニグマアラン・チューリング伝, here’s the synopsis…

解読不可能といわれたドイツの暗号機エニグマを攻略した史上最強の暗号解読者であり、コンピュータ科学の創始者であり、同性愛で罪に問われるという数奇な人生を送ったアラン・チューリング。彼は何を考え、何を感じ、そして生きたのか。数理物理学者でもある著者アンドルー・ホッジスがチューリングの生涯を鮮やかに描き出す。

はしがきは『ゲーデル、エッシャー、バッハ』（白揚社）のダグラス・ホフスタッターが執筆。

The book was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie THE IMITATION GAME, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley and Charles Dance. ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published in the UK by Vintage, and in the US by Princeton University Press. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

The biography has also been published widely in translation. Here’s just a small sampling of the fantastic reviews…

‘A first-rate presentation of the life of a first-rate scientific mind… it is hard to imagine a more thoughtful and warm biography than this one.’ — New York Times Book Review

‘Andrew Hodges, in this fine biography… brings Turing the thinker and Turing the man alive for the reader and thus allows us all to share in the privilege of knowing him.’ — Financial Times

‘One of the finest scientific biographies ever written.’ — New Yorker

‘This rather shadowy figure has now finally been lifted into the light of day… it has to be said that Andrew Hodges has put together an extraordinary story.’ — Sunday Telegraph

‘Hodges’s biography is sensitive, sympathetic and uncompromisingly intellectual. The maths is extremely hard work – but helps the lay reader to appreciate the scale of Turing’s achievements.’ — Independent on Sunday

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA out this month in Dutch

Posted on Monday, October 19th, 2015

This month, Andrew Hodges‘s critically-acclaimed ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA will be available in Dutch! Published by Hollands Diep as ALAN TURING, HET ENIGMA, here’s the Dutch synopsis…

Er is niet veel overdreven aan de stelling dat de Britse wiskundige Alan Turing de geallieerden heeft gered in hun strijd tegen de Nazi’s, dat hij de uitvinder was van de computer, de bedenker van kunstmatige intelligentie en een voorloper in de strijd om vrijheid voor homoseksuelen – en dat alles voordat hij, 41 jaar oud, zelfmoord pleegde.

Deze schitterende biografie vertelt het definitieve verhaal van een uitzonderlijk genie en een even uitzonderlijk leven.

Alan Turings grote kracht was zijn briljante analytische geest gecombineerd met zijn gave voor het ontwerpen van ‘intelligente’ machines. In 1940 wist hij met zijn vindingen de Duitse Enigma-code te kraken – de code waarmee de Duitse lucht- en zeemacht alle communicatie beveiligde. Hij bracht er het Duitse oorlogscommando een slag mee toe die de oorlog bekortte en vele mensenlevens redde.

Het was niet Turings enige wapenfeit. Al voor de oorlog werkte de briljante wiskundige aan het concept van een universele machine, een idee dat hij in 1945 uitwerkte tot de allereerste digitale computer. In 1952 kwam een abrupt einde aan de glansrijke carrière van Alan Turing, toen hij door de autoriteiten werd opgepakt wegens homoseksualiteit, een strafbaar feit dat in die tijd nog actief werd vervolgd

In het land dat hij zes jaar lang in het belang van de vrijheid had gediend, volgde een veroordeling en een mensonterende behandeling. In 1954 pleegde Alan Turing, 41 jaar oud, zelfmoord.

Alan Turing, het Enigma verscheen voor het eerst in 1983 en kreeg een glorieuze ontvangst. Enkele jaren geleden volgde een herziene editie, ingeleid door Douglas Hofstadter.

The biography, which was the inspiration for the Oscar-winning movie THE IMITATION GAME starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kiera Knightley, is published in the UK by Vintage and in the US by Princeton University Press. It has also been published widely in translation (with more editions to come). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

The full story behind the persecuted genius of wartime codebreaking and the computer revolution.

A new edition to celebrate Alan Turing’s centenary, includes a new foreword by the author and a preface by Douglas Hofstadter.

Alan Turing was the extraordinary Cambridge mathematician who masterminded the cracking of the German Enigma ciphers and transformed the Second World War. But his vision went far beyond this crucial achievement. Before the war he had formulated the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing committed suicide and one of Britain’s greatest scientific minds was lost.

New Russian Cover for Andrew Hodges’s ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA

Posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2015

There is a new Russian edition of Andrew Hodges‘s ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA. As you can see from the image above, it reflects the Oscar-winning movie adaptation, THE IMITATION GAME. Published in Russia by ACT as Игра в имитацию: Биография Алана Тьюринга, here is the synopsis…

О загадочной, «зашифрованной» судьбе великого криптографа снят фильм «Игра в имитацию», который получил главную награду Кинофестиваля в Торонто в 2014 году. В роли Тьюринга – Бенедикт Камбербэтч, прославившийся своей ролью в телесериале «Шерлок». А его несостоявшуюся невесту Джоан Кларк сыграла Кира Найтли.

Национальный совет кинокритиков США и Американский институт киноискусства включили «Игру в имитацию» в топ 10 фильмов 2014 года. Также фильм получил пять номинаций на премию «Золотой глобус».

Настало время миру узнать о Тьюринге.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published in the UK by Vintage Books and in the US by Princeton University Press. It has also been published widely in translation (check Andrew’s author page for more details and covers). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

The official book behind the film, THE IMITATION GAME. This is a dramatic portrayal of the life and work of Alan Turing, Britain’s most extraordinary unsung heroes, and the world’s greatest innovators.

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

Andrew Hodges’ BBC Alan Turing Timeline

Posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015

Andrew Hodges, the author of the New York Times-bestelling biography ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, has put together a Turing Timeline for the BBC.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA has been adapted into an Oscar-winning movie, THE IMITATION GAME, which was released last year. Tie-in editions of the book (above) are published in the UK by Vintage Books and in the US by Princeton University Press. Here’s the synopsis…

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades — all before his suicide at age forty-one. This acclaimed biography of the founder of computer science, with a new preface by the author that addresses Turing’s royal pardon in 2013, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life.

Capturing both the inner and outer drama of Turing’s life, Andrew Hodges tells how Turing’s revolutionary idea of 1936 — the concept of a universal machine — laid the foundation for the modern computer and how Turing brought the idea to practical realisation in 1945 with his electronic design. The book also tells how this work was directly related to Turing’s leading role in breaking the German Enigma ciphers during World War II, a scientific triumph that was critical to Allied victory in the Atlantic. At the same time, this is the tragic account of a man who, despite his wartime service, was eventually arrested, stripped of his security clearance, and forced to undergo a humiliating treatment program — all for trying to live honestly in a society that defined homosexuality as a crime.

The biography has once again hit the New York Times bestseller list, this time at #10 on the Science list:

New International Editions of ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA

Posted on Monday, March 9th, 2015

Above are the covers for two more international editions of Andrew Hodges‘s critically-acclaimed ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA. Respectively, Italian, published by Bollati Boringhieri; and Hungarian, published by Gabo. As is clear from the covers, the biography was the inspiration behind the Oscar-winning movie, THE IMITATION GAME.

Here’s the English-language synopsis…

A dramatic portrayal of the life and work of Alan Turing, Britain’s most extraordinary unsung heroes, and the world’s greatest innovators.

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published in the UK by Vintage Books and in the US by Princeton University Press, and has been published widely in translation.