In an earlier life Alex was a Guardian correspondent in South America and Pele’s ghost-writer. Now he is known as the person who reclaimed maths from the geeks. He’s the author of bestsellers Alex’s Adventures in Numberland and Alex Through the Looking-Glass which, like his speeches, celebrate the magic of maths and how it underpins everything we do. He also exposes the predictability of random behaviour.
Journalist and broadcaster Alex Bellos is out to reclaim maths from the geeks. His book, Alex’s Adventures in Numberland has become a major hit, described by The Times as ‘marvellously entertaining.’
In presentations Alex might discuss the wow factor of maths and how it underpins everything we do. He has examples from Japanese abacus classes and chimpanzee sanctuaries, anecdotes on favourite numbers and modern numeric folklore. He also explores the predictability of random behaviour, the subject of his next book.
As the Guardian’s former South America correspondent, Alex spent five years in Rio de Janeiro. He is the author of Futebol: the Brazilian Way of Life and Pele, the autobiography.