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Book Review of Proof : A Play

Proof : A Play
Proof : A Play
Author: David Auburn
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
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This play is lean; there are only four characters. The plot seems to be about the real-life John Nash (remember A BEAUTIFUL MIND?). Robert, a brilliant mathematician, becomes ill and slides into dementia. Catherine, one of Robert's daughters, drops out of college and takes care of him for several years until his death.

However, the crux of the play is that Catherine is also a mathematical genius. Hal, her boyfriend and a student of Robert's, has a hard time believing that she is as smart as her father. And her older sister Claire thinks that Catherine is slipping into dementia.

This is a lean, taut drama about family and trust. In 2001, this play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.