IMPA master tells the story of Pi, the ‘most famous number’

There’s something new on the science publishing market: “Pi: an infinite autobiography” is the new release by Andrés Navas, a Chilean science communicator with a master’s degree from IMPA and a doctorate from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon in France, and Iranian mathematician Mahsa Allahbakhshi. Published by Tinta-da-China Brasil, the book features illustrations by Mexican designer Verena Rodríguez and was translated by Maria Cecilia Brandi.

With an adventurous and curious tone, the authors tell the story of Pi in the first person, where the irrational number travels through human history in search of answers about itself and its enigmas. “I’m known all over the world, but my reputation isn’t always the best. In fact, many people are intimidated by me. That’s why I decided to write my biography: so they can get to know me a little better and maybe end up liking me a little more. The fact is that some things about me I don’t even know myself, and maybe this is the opportunity for you to help me understand them”.

The director general of IMPA, Marcelo Viana, author of “Stories of Mathematics: From counting on your fingers to artificial intelligence” (2024) and “The discovery of numbers: A mathematical adventure” (2025), signed the book’s ‘ear’. “Pi himself tells us about his life in the ear. From ancient times, with great heroes like Archimedes, to the present day, with the glory of Pi Day (March 14) being consecrated as International Mathematics Day, passing through the many centuries of growing self-knowledge, both in the West and in the great civilizations of the East,” says Viana in the introduction.

Irrational and infinite, Pi has spanned millennia of discoveries and challenged generations of mathematicians and scientists all over the world. Present in geometry, trigonometry, probability and even the arts, it has become a symbol of mystery and enchantment, a bridge between abstract formulas and concrete reality.

The book is divided into three parts, arranged in chronological order, in which the protagonist meets characters who have marked his journey: from Archimedes to Ramanujan, passing through the Chinese Liu Hui, the first to give the number the decimal notation used to this day: 3.14. In the first part, the narrator-protagonist revisits antiquity. Next, Pi recounts the advances of the modern era, with new mathematical studies. Finally, the third section takes the reader to the present day.

One of the book’s chapters is dedicated to the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), organized by IMPA in Rio de Janeiro, when Pi and his friends landed in the Cidade Maravilhosa. The ICM is the world’s most important meeting of mathematicians and, on this occasion, marked the event’s debut in Latin America.

Meet the authors

With a master’s degree from IMPA and a doctorate from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Andrés Navas studied mathematics at the University of Santiago de Chile (Usach), where he is now a full-time professor. He has been a visiting professor at institutions such as the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, Caltech, the University of Cambridge and the University of Tokyo.

He is the author of more than sixty research articles, which won him awards in 2013 from the Mathematical Council of the Americas and in 2016 from the Mathematical Union of Latin America and the Caribbean. Passionate about science communication and literature, in 2017 he launched “Un viaje a las ideas”, the first mathematical communication book produced in Chile for a wide audience. According to him, “Pi: an infinite autobiography” was partly inspired by Monteiro Lobato’s “Emília’s Arithmetic”.

In 2022, Navas participated in FestMat (National Mathematics Festival) with a talk on “How to make a magic square out of numbers with birthdays”. On that occasion, he explained that there are records of magic squares in very ancient times – around 3,000 years ago – and showed photos of sculptures with the object.

A professor at the Mathematics Faculty of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Mahsa Allahbakhshi earned her doctorate at the University of Victoria (Canada), and did her previous studies in Tehran (Iran). In addition to her dedication to popularization, the author stands out for her work in pedagogy and the introduction of innovative teaching methods.

The vibrant illustrations are by Mexican designer Verena Rodríguez. With a degree in design and visual communication from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Verena has a master’s degree in children’s literature from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada). Her illustrations and comics have been published in textbooks and magazines.

Mathematics and literature

“Pi: an infinite autobiography” is the latest release from Tinta-da-China aimed at disseminating mathematics. The publisher is also responsible for “Stories of Mathematics: From counting on your fingers to artificial intelligence” and “The Discovery of Numbers: A Mathematical Adventure“, both by Marcelo Viana.

“Histórias da Matemática” was a success and became the publisher’s best-selling book at the Rio de Janeiro Book Biennial in 2025. In addition, in the same year, one of the chronicles in the book became the base text for questions in the 2nd Qualifying Exam at UERJ (Rio de Janeiro State University).