Michael Henry Heim

About the Author

Michael Henry Heim was a distinguished literary translator renowned for his masterful renditions of works from diverse languages into English, bridging cultural divides with precision and elegance. Born in 1943 in New York City, Heim studied at Harvard and the University of Leiden, developing a profound expertise in Slavic and European literatures. His translations include acclaimed novels by authors such as Milan Kundera, Günter Grass, and Aleksandar Hemon, earning him the prestigious PEN Translation Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Heim's passion for mathematics and storytelling converged in his translation of Hans Magnus Enzensberger's 'The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure,' a whimsical yet insightful journey into the world of numbers that captivates young readers and adults alike. Throughout his career, he taught at the University of California, Los Angeles, inspiring generations of scholars until his passing in 2012, leaving an enduring legacy in the art of translation.