The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley

Former NPR reporter Weiner (Man Seeks God) narrates this personal exploration of places that have at some point in their history spawned significant numbers of geniuses, or at the very least brilliant people. He attempts to discover if these locales (Classical Athens, Sung Dynasty Hangzhou, Renaissance Florence, Enlightenment Edinburgh, Calcutta of the Bengal Renaissance, the Vienna of Mozart and Freud, and modern-day Silicon Valley) have certain traits in common that might be responsible for producing the surge in creativity and intellectual ferment for which they are known. Weiner's voice conveys a wry thoughtfulness reminiscent of Bill Bryson as he muses on the common factors of disorder, diversity, and discernment that help explain why conditions were right in these locations at certain times in their history to produce outstanding achievement. Supplemental materials including a bibliography, acknowledgments, and an index are not included in this recording.