Support The Moscow Times!

Eccentric Math Genius Ditches Russia for Sweden

Mathematician Grigory Perelman.

Mathematician Grigory Perelman, famous for solving a Millennium Prize Problem and turning down the award, has moved to Sweden, a Russian newspaper reported.

Perelman led a reclusive life with his mother in her apartment in St. Petersburg in recent years.

The man who once turned down $1 million had no job and no income and subsisted on his mother's pension, Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid said Thursday.

The academic eventually grew tired of the situation and scored a job with an unspecified Swedish firm working in nanotechnologies, the paper said.

Perelman moved to a small Swedish town a few months ago with his mother and stepsister on a 10-year visa, but retained his Russian citizenship, the report said.

The tabloid added that the mathematician was currently in St. Petersburg and uploaded a brief video of Perelman — looking notably better groomed than in older pictures — running away from reporters.

Perelman, 48, hit the public spotlight after he proved the Poincare conjecture, one of the seven most important problems in modern mathematics.

His proof, published in 2002-2003, earned him the prestigious Fields Medal and a prize of $1 million, but he turned both down.

In rare media statements, Perelman, who held research positions in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, explained his decision as being down to disappointment in the math community. Reports alleged rivals had tried to downplay his achievements and steal his glory.

See also:
Math Genius Snubs Academy of Sciences

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more