Veranstaltungsarchiv Thomas Mann House
Januar 2026
Navid Kermani: In Search of a Common Cause. Conversations Across the U.S.
Info
Navid Kermani, einer der renommiertesten Schriftsteller Deutschlands, hat kürzlich einige der größten Konfliktgebiete der Welt besucht, nicht als Politologe, sondern als literarischer Beobachter. Gemeinsam mit verschiedenen US-amerikanischen Intellektuellen und Schriftstellern wird Kermani folgendes diskutieren: Was bedeutet es, Schriftstellerzu sein in einer polarisierten Welt, die von Krieg, Vertreibung und politischer Spaltung geprägt ist? Wie verändert sich das Konzept des „Westens“? Wie können Literatur, Poesie und Religion als Brücken in zerbrochenen Gesellschaften dienen und Solidarität fördern?
Diese Veranstaltungen bringen renommierte Denker von beiden Seiten des Atlantiks zu einem Gespräch über Literatur, Politik und Spiritualität zusammen, in einer Zeit tiefgreifender globaler Veränderungen.
Mehrstimmigkeit ist das Elixir von Kermanis Ruhm: Seine Begegnungen von Zeiten und Welten verteidigen in Zeiten zunehmender Abschottung, dass die Welt mehr ist als alles, was der Fall ist. Sie verteidigen das Vorhandensein von etwas ganz anderem – von Unerwartetem, Unerhörtem, und von Verloren-Geglaubtem. Denn Kermanis Denken, und das wird oft übersehen, hat die Kraft des Paria, jenes Außenseiters also, der verstanden hat, dass man sich und den anderen die eigene Zwiefach-Zugehörigkeit zunutze machen kann.
- Marie Luise Knott, Deutschlandfunk
Navid Kermani has established himself as one of Germany’s foremost public intellectuals. The child of Iranian immigrants, he has spoken of himself as belonging, like Heine or Goethe, to a tradition of German cosmopolitanism, open to the world and critical towards the nation.
- Times Literary Supplement
Veranstaltungen
In Search of a Common Cause: A Conversation with Krista Tippett and Navid Kermani
Location: Los Angeles Central Library, Los Angeles
Navid Kermani in conversation with Krista Tippett, author and award–winning host of the renowned podcast On Being.
More information here.
An Evening With Navid Kermani - A Literary Salon
Location: Goethe-Institut Los Angeles
Reading & Discussion: Friederike von Schwerin-High in Conversation with Navid Kermani.
Focusing on his literary works, Navid Kermani offers an intimate reading of excerpts from a selection of his texts in German, accompanied by the English translation, including Das Buch der von Neil Young Getöteten (The Book of Those Killed by Neil Young), Zürich 2002, and Große Liebe | Love Writ Large (2014), among others. English passages from Kemani's works will be presented by actor Moneer Yaqubi. Interweaving readings with thought-provoking discussion, Kermani and von Schwerin-High will explore themes of love, faith, loss, aesthetics, and music as present in Kermani’s diverse body of work.
More information here.
Navid Kermani in conversation with Jaron Lanier
Location: Goethe-Institut San Francisco
A conversation on the intersections of literature, technology, and democracy in contemporary society.
More information here.
Navid Kermani in conversation with Andrea Bajani
Location: Rice University - Kraft Hall, Houston, TX
A conversation on what it means to be a writer in a polarized world and how to build bridges in fractured societies and foster solidarity.
More information here.
Navid Kermani in conversation with Anna Parkinson
The Burden of the Past: The Holocaust, Colonialism, and Today's World
Talk and Community Dinner: A public lecture by Navid Kermani, one of Germany's most acclaimed writers, followed by a conversation and communal meal.
In this lecture in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Navid Kermani, in conversation with German Studies scholar Anna Parkinson, will discuss the status of memory culture in contemporary Germany and its role in a pluralistic society. Afterwards, all are invited to continue the discussion over a vegetarian community dinner by chef Adrian Ricardo Castellano featuring produce sourced from local urban farms.
Location: Goethe-Institut Chicago
More information here.
Navid Kermani in Conversation with Omri Boehm
Location: Goethe-Institut New York
Join the Goethe-Institut New York for a special evening featuring award‑winning German author and public intellectual Navid Kermani in conversation with Omri Boehm, Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at The New School. These two prominent thinkers will discuss how current global conflict and political division are reshaping public life.
More information here.
Navid Kermani in Conversation with Jeffrey Gedmin
Location: Goethe-Institut Washington
More information here.
Location: Goethe-Institut Boston
More information soon.
Teilnehmer
Navid Kermani ist ein unabhängiger deutscher Schriftsteller und lebt in Köln. Er studierte Nahostwissenschaften, Philosophie und Theater in Köln, Kairo und Bonn, wo er habilitierte. Für sein literarisches und wissenschaftliches Werk wurde er mit zahlreichen Preisen ausgezeichnet, darunter der Hannah-Arendt-Preis, der Kleist-Preis, der Joseph-Breitbach-Preis, der Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels, der Hölderlin-Preis und der Thomas-Mann-Preis.
Seine literarischen Werke erscheinen im Carl Hanser Verlag (deutsch) und bei Seagull Books (englisch), seine wissenschaftlichen und Sachbücher bei C. H. Beck (deutsch) und Polity Press (englisch).
Partner
Eine Veranstaltungsreihe des Goethe-Instituts in Nordamerika in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Thomas Mann House Los Angeles und weiteren US-amerikanischen Partnern.
In Search of a Common Cause
Los Angeles Public Library (630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071)
Sprache: Englisch
Info
"In Search of a Common Cause: A Conversation with Krista Tippett and Navid Kermani" will feature two renowned thinkers discussing literature, politics, and spirituality in a free and open exchange. Krista Tippett, author and award–winning host of the renowned podcast On Being, has spent her career exploring the spiritual and aesthetic dimensions of life. Navid Kermani, one of Germany’s most acclaimed writers, has recently visited some of the world’s conflict zones, not as a political analyst, but as a literary observer. Their far-ranging conversation will touch on what it means to be a writer in a polarized world, how the concept of “the West” is changing, and how literature, poetry, and religion can foster solidarity in a fractured world. This thought-provoking conversation will be followed by a reception that continues the discussion.
Join us for a light reception in the Central Library's courtyard after the event!
This program will be translated by a live ASL interpreter. For ADA accommodations, please call (213) 228-7430 at least 72 hours prior to the event.
Participants
Krista Tippett is a Peabody-award winning broadcaster, National Humanities Medalist, and New York Times bestselling author. She created the groundbreaking public radio show and podcast On Being, which pursues deep thinking, moral imagination, social creativity, and joy towards the renewal of inner life, outer life, and life together. It has won the highest honors in broadcast, Internet and podcasting, and been downloaded over 450 million times. The On Being Project, which Krista founded in 2013, also engages “quiet conversations” to accompany the generative people and possibilities within this tender, tumultuous time to be alive. She received the National Humanities Medal at the White House in 2014 for "thoughtfully delving into the mysteries of human existence. On air and in print, Ms. Tippett avoids easy answers, embracing complexity and inviting people of every background to join her conversation about faith, ethics, and moral wisdom."
Krista grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, attended Brown University, worked as a young journalist and diplomat in Cold War Berlin, and later received a Master of Divinity from Yale. She is the author of three books, most recently Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living.
Navid Kermani is an independent German writer living in Cologne. He studied Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy, and Theater in Cologne, Cairo, and Bonn, where he received the post-doctoral degree (“Habilitation”). For his literary and academic work, he was awarded numerous prices, including the Hannah-Arendt-Price, the Kleist-Price, the Joseph-Breitbach-Preis, the Peace Price of the German Book Trade, the Hölderlin-Price and the Thomas Mann-Price. His literary books are published by Carl Hanser Verlag (German) and Seagull Books (English), his academic and non-fictional works by C. H. Beck (German) and Polity Press (English).
Partner
This event is organized with the Los Angeles Public Library.
One Year after the Fires: Remembering, Rebuilding, Healing
Thomas Mann House (1550 N San Remo Drive, CA 90272)
By invitation only ・ Please register via rsvp@vatmh.org
Info
Join us on January 15, 2026 at 3:00 pm at the Thomas Mann House Los Angeles for a community gathering. We invite neighbors, friends, supporters, and all those affected by the Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires of January 2025 to join us in the garden for an afternoon of remembrance, community, and hope.
Marking the first anniversary of the devastating fires, this gathering offers an opportunity to reflect on loss and recovery, to honor the resilience of our communities, and to imagine together the future of our city. Through collective conversations, remembrance, and sharing our visions for what lies ahead, the Thomas Mann House seeks to offer a space for healing and renewal. While the Thomas Mann House was able to reopen in June 2025, Villa Aurora is still undergoing fire remediation. While many of our neighbors have returned, others are still in the process of finding their path forward. We look forward to welcoming everyone affected by the fires for a lively community gathering.
The program will feature a performance by Jonathan Hepfer, the Artistic Director of Monday Evening Concerts (MEC), who will perform Buddha by Julius Eastman (1983) and Dream by John Cage (1948).
Participants
