Thomas Mann House Events
Navid Kermani: In Search of a Common Cause. Conversations Across the U.S.
Thomas Mann House (1550 N San Remo Drive, CA 90272)
Info
Together with the Goethe-Institut in North America, the Thomas Mann House Los Angeles convenes an extensive transatlantic lecture tour and series of conversations with the acclaimed German writer Navid Kermani to explore how we can build and maintain solidarity among seemingly opposing identities, groups, and geopolitical alliances.
Navid Kermani, one of Germany’s most acclaimed writers and “among the most thoughtful intellectual voices in German today,” according to the New York Review of Books, recently visited some of the world’s major conflict zones, not as a political analyst, but as a literary observer. Together with various U.S. intellectuals and writers, Kermani will discuss: What does it mean to be a writer in a polarized world marked by war, displacement, and political division? How is the concept of “the West” changing? How might literature, poetry, and religion serve as bridges in fractured societies and foster solidarity? These events bring together acclaimed thinkers from both sides of the Atlantic for a conversation on literature, politics, and spirituality at a moment of profound global change.
Polyphony is the elixir of Kermani's international renown: his encounters with times and worlds, in an age of increasing isolation, defend the idea that the world is more than everything that is the case. They defend the existence of something entirely different—the unexpected, the unheard of, and the supposedly lost. For Kermani's thinking, and this is often overlooked, possesses the power of the pariah, that outsider who has understood that one can use one's own dual belonging to one's advantage, both for oneself and for others.
- 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
Conversations
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
Friederike von Schwerin-High in Conversation with Navid Kermani.
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: Goethe-Institut Houston
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
Location: Goethe-Institut Chicago
More information soon.
Location: Goethe-Institut New York
More information soon.
Location: Goethe-Institut Washington
More information soon.
Location: Goethe-Institut Boston
More information soon.
Participants
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-Prize, the Kleist-Prize, the Joseph-Breitbach-Preis, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Hölderlin-Prize and the Thomas Mann-Prize.
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
An event series by the Goethe-Institut in North America in cooperation with the Thomas Mann House Los Angeles, and other U.S. partners.
In Search of a Common Cause
Los Angeles Public Library (630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071)
Language: English
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 event will take place at the Mark Taper Auditorium at the Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles, CA 90071. It is open to the public and free of charge. Please register here.
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 soothing sound performance, refreshments, and opportunities for informal exchange.