Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt — a world-renowned philosopher and political theorist, whose name in the public consciousness is inextricably linked with the thesis of “the banality of evil” and the concept of “totalitarianism”. Her works are considered classics of 20th-century political thought and continue to attract readers' attention; however, not much has been written about her life. In this long-awaited biography, Thomas Meyer shows how Arendt's personal experiences – studying with the best philosophers of her time, fleeing from Nazi Germany, practical activities to save Jewish youth and cultural values, about which little was previously known – shaped her views and ideas, which remain relevant to this day. Regardless of the different questions they touched upon, they are united by one: the need to comprehend human existence. Behind them stands a figure whose motto was: “I must understand”.