Navid Kermani in conversation with Jaron Lanier

"Among the most thoughtful intellectual voices in German today."
New York Review of Books

"Navid Kermani shows us what it means to be a critical intellectual today."
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

How is democracy being reshaped in an age defined by AI, digital platforms, and growing political polarization? What forms of solidarity remain possible in societies fractured by war, displacement, and competing narratives of “the West”? Join us for an evening with Navid Kermani, award-winning German author and Jaron Lanier, pioneering technologist, author, and leading critic of the digital age. Both are recipients of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.

Drawing on Kermani’s new book, When Our Hearts Open Alike (2025), and on his ongoing conversations across the United States, the speakers will explore how literature, technology, and spirituality can help us navigate democratic crises and foster connection across divided communities. The discussion will consider the civic implications of AI and social media, the pressures facing democratic institutions, and the possibilities for building shared meaning in a rapidly changing world.

About the speakers

Navid Kermani is an independent German writer living in Cologne. He studied Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy, and Theater in Cologne, Cairo, and Bonn, where he received the post-doctoral degree (“Habilitation”). For his literary and academic work, he was awarded numerous prizes, including the Hannah-Arendt-Prize, the Kleist-Prize, the Joseph-Breitbach-Preis, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Hölderlin-Prize and the Thomas Mann-Prize.His literary books are published by Carl Hanser Verlag (German) and Seagull Books (English), his academic and non-fictional works by C. H. Beck (German) and Polity Press (English).

Jaron Lanier is a technologist, author, and musician. Credited with coining the terms Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality, Lanier founded one of the earliest VR technology companies and has worked at the forefront of digital innovation. He has served as Chief Scientist for Internet2 and contributed to early AI research. Known as a constructive critic of the digital landscape, Lanier has published several influential books on technology and society. His honors include the IEEE Lifetime Achievement Awardand multiple honorary degrees. He is a recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. Lanier currently serves as Microsoft’s “Octopus” (Office of the Chief Technology Officer Prime Unifying Scientist) and is active in music collaborations that span genres and geographies.