An Affair of the Mind: Arendt and Heidegger
Hannah Arendt, one of The New School’s brightest lights, taught here from 1967 until her passing 1975, leaving behind a legacy as the Twentieth Century’s leading philosopher of Fascism.
For many, Arendt’s personal life is as thought-provoking as her scholarship. Arendt was romantically involved with her mentor, professor and philosopher, Martin Heidegger, who was a married man. The two were separated by the rise of the Third Reich, during which the Jewish Arendt sought asylum in the United States, while Heidegger infamously adopted Nazism. Arendt called love perhaps the most powerful of all anti-political human forces, , was it this feeling that facilitated her complicated and enduring relationship with Heidegger?
Kate Fodor’s play Hannah and Martin imagines the details of their secretive affair. Drawing from a collection letters between Arendt and Heidegger, the play focuses on a fictionalized confrontation between the two after the war. Variety has called the play an impressive accomplishment ‘ and a gift for audiences who would rather leave the theatre thinking long thoughts than scratching their bellies.,
On Wednesday, November 17 at 7 p.m., the Epic Theatre Ensemble will present a staged reading of Hannah and Martin starring David Strathairn and Melissa Friedman at the Museum of Jewish Heritage ‘ A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Tickets are $10 and are available online or by calling the Museum box office at 646.437.4202. Visit the museum’s website for more information.