An interesting figure in mathematics — Grigori Perelman. He was born in Leningrad in 1966 and became the guy who solved one of the greatest mathematical problems of modern times. The Poincaré conjecture, which had been waiting for a solution for almost a hundred years, was finally proved by him.

What’s interesting about Grigori Perelman? He didn’t do it like other scientists. No big conferences, no press releases, no dramatic presentations. From 2002 to 2003, he simply published his work on arXiv — an open server where all mathematicians could read it. There, he explained the proof using Ricci flow methods and geometric topology. The mathematical community then spent several years verifying whether it really was correct. It was honest, with no media circus.

The result? In 2006, he received the Fields Medal; in 2010, he then received the Millennium Prize from the Clay Mathematics Institute. He refused both. He simply said it was unnecessary and went back to his work. Or rather — he went back to his life outside academia.

That’s really interesting about Perelman — his attitude. As early as around 2005 to 2006, he distanced himself from the scientific community. He stopped going to conferences, stopped writing new articles, and left the university. Today, he lives in Petrohrad in a very secluded way, almost like a hermit. Occasionally, someone sees him in a regular store, where he buys cheap groceries and pays in cash. He lives with his mother; he is not married and has no children.

Why? Perelman criticizes how the mathematical community is organized. He says he isn’t interested in fame or money. One of his sentences is one I like: Why would I need awards and money, when I know how to run my own world? That’s exactly it — a person who follows his own path, regardless of the system.

This is a case where the greatest scientific achievement and the least media attention belong to the same person. Grigori Perelman chose calm and freedom instead of recognition. An interesting contrast in today’s world, where everyone wants to be seen.