Novel about the Einstein Telescope inspires readers and sparks conversation
The first print sold out quickly, shortly followed by a second edition. With Love in the Light of the Einstein Telescope, writer and philosopher Govert Derix has not only reached readers, but also sparked new conversations about science, imagination, and the human side of the Einstein Telescope.
A story with many layers
The fact that the first edition sold out and a second was needed surprised Govert Derix. “We didn’t consider having done anything special,” he says. “But the book seems to have struck a chord.”
Since the novel’s release, he has received many reactions from readers. What stands out to him is how differently people experience the book. “Some read it as a love story, others as a philosophical novel. Others recognize political, ecological, or even religious themes.”
“The Einstein Telescope in the book is utilised as a metaphorical lens,” Derix continues. “A way of looking at life. That brings together all kinds of aspects that people recognize.” It is precisely this layered nature that makes the story resonate. The book connects complex science with deeply human questions about love, ethics, imagination, and our place in the universe.
An extra outboard motor
The contrast with the writing process is striking. Derix wrote the novel largely in isolation, without knowing the journey it would later take. “It became like an extra outboard motor,” he says—for the project and for himself.
It led to many new encounters. “I was invited to help launch the Einstein Academy at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences in Heerlen, I joined an exhibition about the Einstein Telescope in Flanders, and I visited the Vrije Universiteit Brussel where a reporter challenged me to explain in an eight-minute video what the Einstein Telescope is.”
Science also requires imagination
According to Govert Derix, the book reveals another side of the Einstein Telescope. Large scientific projects are often discussed in terms of technology, investment, and political decision-making. Important, he says, but not the full picture.
“Who writes a love story about the Einstein Telescope?” he says with a laugh. “At first, some people might think: what am I supposed to do with this? But that’s precisely what creates a new perspective, and I hear that from readers too.”
That idea was central to his lecture at the launch of the Einstein Academy, where he spoke about leadership and imagination.
“Maybe we should not only focus on the science around the Einstein Telescope,” he says, “but also on imagination. Science is not only about numbers or policy. It is also about love—love for knowledge, for discovery, for life.”
For Derix, curiosity and joy are essential parts of science. “When you truly understand something, it brings joy. Perhaps science, passion, and love are much more connected than we sometimes think.”
Bringing complex questions closer
Beneath the surface of the Einstein Telescope lie major ethical and societal questions, according to Derix. What does fundamental research mean for society? How do technology and human values relate to each other?
His novel tries to make these themes tangible through ordinary people and relatable emotions. “That triggers readers,” he notes. “You connect complex material with human stories.”
And in that, he sees the added value of the book for the project. “For the scientific story, my book is perhaps a dessert,” he says. “But it is also more than that.”
Continuing to contribute
Whether a translation will follow is still open. It is being considered, but there are no concrete plans yet. For now, what remains is a sense of wonder about what the book has set in motion.
His hope is that the story continues to do what it is already doing: inviting people to look differently. “I hope the book keeps contributing to a different way of looking at the Einstein Telescope.”
