Exploring the New Critical Edition of The Life of the Mind | Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode of the podcast, we're sharing a discussion between host Roger Berkowitz and one of the General Editors of the Critical Edition of Hannah Arendt's Complete Works, Thomas Wild, and two of the co-editors of the new edition of The Life of the Mind, Thomas Bartscherer and Wout Cornelissen. The conversation explores the significance of the Critical Edition, the distinction between truth and meaning, and the dual origin of The Life of the Mind stemming from Arendt’s earlier works and her coverage of the Eichmann trial. The conversation also address the differences between the Mary McCarthy edition and the new edition, emphasizing the importance of reading Arendt’s original words to understand her thoughts on thinking, willing, and judging. Recorded in collaboration with Radio Kingston.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Thomas Wild is Research Director at the Hannah Arendt Center and Professor of German Studies and Literature at Bard College, and works on modern European and German literature and culture. In his research as well as in his teaching he’s particularly interested in the intersections between literature and history, politics, and philosophy. A current focus of his work addresses the poetics and ethics of multilingualism. Wild has published an introductory book on Hannah Arendt’s life, work, and reception and a monograph on Hannah Arendt’s intellectual relationships with post-war writers. His most recent book on the distinguished poet Ilse Aichinger discusses a contemporary poetics of hospitality. Several editions of letters emerged from Thomas Wild’s ongoing intrigue for correspondences and intellectual networks, including prominent writers such as Uwe Johnson, Wolfgang Hildesheimer, and Joachim Fest. Poetry is an interlocutor in most of his courses and in many of his publications, among the latter are a collection of poems by Thomas Brasch and translations of contemporary American poets. Thomas Wild serves as general editor on the distinguished international team preparing the first scholarly edition of Hannah Arendt’s Complete Works, which appears in print and digitally, presenting all published and unpublished writings of this eminent thinker in the original English and in the original German – a project providing the foundation for future research on Hannah Arendt, digital humanities, and what it means to think in a plurality of languages.

Thomas Bartscherer works in the humanities and the arts and on the study of politics and liberal education. Recent publications include the critical edition of Hannah Arendt’s final work, The Life of the Mind, which he co-edited for the Complete Works series, and When the People Rule: Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice, co-edited for Cambridge University Press. His six-hour opera, Stranger Love, created with composer Dylan Mattingly, was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where it premiered in 2023. His work has also been performed at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, the Prototype Festival, and the First Take West Coast Opera Workshop. Bartscherer also writes on technology, new media, performance, and contemporary art, and has published translations from German and French. He is co-editor of Eroti