Julio Cesar de Mello e Souza

Júlio César de Mello e Souza was a Brazilian writer and mathematics teacher who was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1895. He studied engineering at the Escola Politécnica of the University of São Paulo, graduating in 1918. He then worked as a professor and researcher at the same institution, where he founded the Department of Mathematics in 1924. He also collaborated with the Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF) and the Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT). He published many papers on various topics of mathematics, such as geometry, algebra, calculus, number theory, logic, and history of mathematics. He was particularly interested in the recreational aspects of mathematics, such as puzzles, games, curiosities, and paradoxes. He also developed a method of teaching mathematics based on problem-solving and discovery, rather than memorization and repetition. He was very critical of the traditional educational system in Brazil, which he considered boring and ineffective. He wrote over 100 books on mathematics and other subjects, with more than two million copies sold by 1995. His most famous work, O Homem que Calculava (The Man Who Counted), is a collection of mathematical problems and curiosities presented as the adventures of a Persian calculator in the style of the Arabian Nights. He also wrote Lendas do Deserto (Legends of the Desert), Aventuras de um Matemático no País das Maravilhas (Adventures of a Mathematician in Wonderland), and many other books that combined mathematics, fiction, and culture. He wrote most of his books under the pen names of Malba Tahan and Breno de Alencar Bianco, which he created to give more credibility and appeal to his stories. He also wrote books and pamphlets for the general public, explaining the concepts and discoveries of science and medicine. He was one of the founders and presidents of the Sociedade Brasileira para o Progresso da Ciência (SBPC), an organization that promotes scientific research and education in Brazil. He was also a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of the Third World. He received many awards and honors for his contributions to science and society, such as the Order of Scientific Merit from the Brazilian government in 1971, and the Kalinga Prize from UNESCO in 1979. He died of natural causes in Recife, Brazil, in 1974, at the age of 79. He is regarded as one of the most influential and respected Brazilian writers and mathematics teachers, and a pioneer of recreational mathematics. ¹