Hardy, Littlewood and Ramanujan, a mathematical trio

After an exchange of letters with Srinivasa Ramanujan revealed his amazing mathematical insights, GH Hardy and John E. Littlewood, two Cambridge dons, encouraged the talented but untrained young mathematical genius to come to Cambridge. There they arranged to get him a position and collaborated with him on mathematical work. 

Sadly, Ramanujan did not adapt well to the climate of England. A vegetarian, he also found it difficult to stomach the food in college. When his health began to fail, Hardy encouraged him to return to India for a holiday. He lived to see his home and family, but died in Madras of a parasitic infection. He was only thirty-three years old.

At the request of a friend, Hardy penned a memoir, A Mathematician's Apology, during his final illness. This is a seen by many as a study of the creative mind and process. Published in 1940, a year into the war, the book reveals a somewhat gloomy outlook.