In a biography first published in Germany, philosopher Thomas Meyer
revisits the life of one of the most widely read political scientistsand philosophers of the 20th century, whose work, whether adored or
criticized, remains essential. Thomas Meyer is the editor of Arendt's
complete works in German-a total of thirteen volumes, pending the
discovery of other unpublished material. His biography, published two
years ago in Germany, offers new perspectives, highlighting the
centrality of exile and her years in Paris to her work. As a reminder,
Hannah Arendt was born in 1906 in Hanover into a family of Jewish
technicians and merchants. Orphaned at the age of seven, she was raised
by her mother. Considered a particularly precocious child, she passed
her baccalaureate exams in 1924, a year early, and embarked on studies
in philosophy. She maintained a clandestine love affair with her
philosophy professor, Martin Heidegger. On the advice of her mentor and
lover, she received philosophical training from Karl Jaspers. In the
late 1920s, she married Günther Stren, the future Anders, a leading
figure of the Frankfurt School. Simultaneously, from the mid-1920s
onward, she participated in the activities of the German Zionist Union.
Tasked with analyzing the rise of antisemitism in Germany, she was
forced to flee after a brief arrest in 1933. In Paris, the couple separated.
Arendt met the former council communist activist, Heinrich Blücher, and
frequented the circle of exiles living in Paris's 15th arrondissement,
including Erich Cohn-Bendit and Herta David, the future parents of
Gabriel and Daniel, Arthur Koestler, and Walter Benjamin, as well as
networks of those who had broken with communism, such as Willy
Münzenberg. Arendt then cared for Jewish children preparing to leave for
Palestine. She worked closely with Arnold Zweig, then a Zionist and
anti-militarist activist-who, after 1945, having broken with Zionism,
became one of the leading figures in East German literary life-believing
that Zionism needed a concrete embodiment. One of the book's central
contributions is to show that, contrary to the myths perpetuated by both
her supporters and detractors, Arendt participated in the Zionist
movement, contributed several articles to Zionist journals, and traveled
to Palestine for the first time under the British Mandate. It further
demonstrates that while she expressed concern about the future of
Israel, she was never anti-Zionist. Her Parisian exile transformed the
philosopher; she became particularly attentive to social phenomena while
simultaneously remaining attached to the idea of bohemianism and social
change, as evidenced, for example, by her attention to and support for
anti-authoritarian groups in France during May 1968 and for refugees and
displaced persons, as the author emphasizes in analyzing her notes on
the condition of modern man. Having become an American citizen in 1951,
she remained, in a sense, stateless and hoped for the end of
nation-states. Her second American exile brought her a certain renown.
Her trilogy on totalitarianism was its crowning achievement. But,
contrary to what her admirers believe, her critique of totalitarian
regimes also contains a demanding vision of democracy, of which the
volume on colonialism is a central element: guaranteeing freedoms
applies to everyone and to everything... Reducing Arendt's work to the
last volume on totalitarianism (1) or to Eichmann in Jerusalem would be
a fundamental error in understanding her.
This stimulating biography, based on newly discovered archives, invites
us to reread Arendt, and we hope that, as in Germany, the complete
versions of her works will be translated, incorporating the various
versions of the texts.
Thomas Meyer
Hannah Arendt
Calmann-Levy 2025 544 p. EUR25.90
(1) One of the leading specialists in the analysis of totalitarian
regimes, Bernard Bruneteau, has recently been honored with a summing up
of his work, following a long-standing academic tradition (edited by
François Hourmant, *Europe and Totalitarianism*), Rennes, PUR, 2025, 240
pp., EUR24. This book underscores the heuristic value of the concept of
totalitarianism. The historian has published several essential works on
the subject, ranging from the analysis of the utopian dimension of
totalitarian systems to the analysis of clothing. The value of this
present work lies in also demonstrating its application in the context
of travel, specifically regarding the journeys of pro-Albanian Maoists
to Tirana, and in a dimension little explored in fiction, whether in
literature, film, or television series. As this book clearly
demonstrates, the concept has undeniable value.
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8716
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten