Winner of Edoardo Kihlgren first prize for European literature in 2014. Winner of the international Bottari Lattes prize for literature in Italy. Nominated for the literary prize “PREMIO LETTERARIA” in the category best novel translated into Italian.
Besides Denmark, the novel has been published in Germany, South Korea, Schwitzerland, France, Greece, Italy, Austria and under consideration to other countries.
The perfect Life of William Sidis
On a winter morning in 1910, Harvard University’s Conant Hall is packed with leading professors in mathematics and physics from all of New England’s colleges. William Sidis stands at the podium. The subject of his lecture is his own theories about the fourth dimension. William is eleven-years-old.
Next day he is on the front page of every newspaper. The journalists revel in the story of the wonderboy who was able to read New York Times when he was 18 months and taught himself Latin and Greek
at age three.
He wrote books on grammar, astronomy, anatomy and invented a unique language, ”Vendergood”, before he was eight. The expectations for William are enormous. Everybody predicts that William will be the new Newton or Euclid, that he will create miracles and amaze the World.
Morten Brask’s new novel is inspired by the strange destiny of the super genius William Sidis. His IQwas between 250-300, the highest intelligence ever recorded. But why is it that today nobody knows Sidis’ name? Why did he dissapear? And who is the young woman whose photograph he was carrying to his death?
William Sidis perfect life leads the reader to the previous century Boston and New York. To the salons of the billionaires where little William was displayed as a wunderkind.
To a childhood with parents who, together with contemporary leading psychologists, transform William’s childhood to a psychological experiment – an experiment that causes tragic consequences for William, and that leads to that he one day he realizes that he is forced to escape.
The novel is based upon the true story about the once world famous wunderkind, William Sidis (1898-1944) who lived and died in New York and Boston.
His IQ was estimated to somewhere between 250-300.
Read an excerpt in English here
Read a synopsis in English here
William Sidis Perfekte Liv
En vintermorgen 1910 er en foredragssal på Harvard fyldt til bristepunktet med USA’s førende professorer. Ved talerstolen står William Sidis. Han skal fremlægge sin teori om den fjerde dimension. William er 11 år gammel.
Næste dag er han på forsiden af alle aviser. Journalisterne svælger i historien om vidunderdrengen der læste New York Times da han var 18 måneder og lærte sig latin og græsk som treårig. Han skrev bøger om grammatik, astronomi, anatomi og opfandt sproget Vendergood, inden han fyldte 8. Forventningerne til William er enorme. Alle forudser at William bliver en ny Newton som vil skabe mirakler og forbløffe hele verden.
Morten Brask’s nye roman er inspireret af supergeniet William Sidis mærkelige skæbne. Hans IQ lå mellem 250-300, den højeste intelligens nogensinde registreret. Men hvorfor er der i dag ingen som kender Sidis navn? Hvorfor forsvandt han? Og hvem er den unge kvinde hvis fotografi han bar på sig til sin dødsdag?
William Sidis perfekte liv fører læseren til forrige århundredes Boston og New York. Til milliardærernes saloner hvor lille William vises frem. Til en opvækst med forældre der sammen med datidens førende psykologer, forvandler Williams barndom til et psykologisk eksperiment – et eksperiment der får tragiske konsekvenser for William, og som fører til at han en dag indser at han er nødt til at flygte.