“Kant is a madman, like all great philosophers, whether they themselves know it or not.” – Thomas Bernhard
Meet Immanuel Kant. He’s depressed and going blind. He’s traveling on a steamship somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, near the same iceberg that sank the Titanic. He meets a colorful cast of characters, including a millionairess, an admiral, an art collector, and a cardinal. And he’s accompanied by a parrot that repeats everything he says. Which is the animal, and which is the great philosopher?
In this staged reading, the Goethe Institut and Johns Hopkins University are proud to present the North American premiere of Immanuel Kant, an early-career masterwork by Thomas Bernhard, the great provocateur of post-World War II German theater and literature.
Often compared to Franz Kafka, Eugen Ionesco and Samuel Beckett, Bernhard treats a towering giant of European thought with his trademark blend of comic irreverence and acid-tongued observation. In a world where there is no firm ground, what is reality and what is philosophy? Who is acting insane, and who sees clearly? And has the Enlightenment put us all on the sinking ship of history?
This is presented in honor of the 300th anniversary of Immanuel Kant’s birth.
Immanuel Kant by Thomas Bernhard
Translated by Douglas Robertson
Director: Drew Lichtenberg
Casting Consultant: Danica Rodriguez
Cast to be announced.
Thomas Bernhard, „Immanuel Kant“ © Suhrkamp Verlag AG, Berlin. English translation published by Seagull Books.
The reading will be followed by a panel featuring:
Jacob Haubenreich, Katharina Kraus, Drew Lichtenberg, and Douglas Robertson
This staged reading is produced by Johns Hopkins University and Goethe-Institut Washington DC.
Thank you to our sponsors for their generous donations and support:
Department of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University
North American Kant Society
Princeton University
Department of Theater Arts and Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Alexander Grass Humanities Institute, Johns Hopkins University
Max Kade Center for Modern German Thought, Johns Hopkins University
Department of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University
Department of Philosophy, The George Washington University
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Towson University
DETAILS
Sun, 03/10/2024, 5:00 PM ET
Language: English
Goethe-Institut Washington @ The Liz, 1377 R St. NW, Ste. 300, Washington, DC 20009
Registration is required for this event, please click here
Unable to attend in DC? We’re hosting a reading in Baltimore!
Friday, March 8 @ 7:30pm
Merrick Barn, JHU Homewood Campus
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
These readings and the “Kant and the World Today” conference are part of the North American Kant Society’s Tercentennial celebrations. Both readings are free and open to the public. Registration encouraged.
For more information, please visit kant300.info