Hannah Arendt Library

To accompany the exhibition Between Past Between Past and Future. Eight Exercises in Political Thought, the Kestner Gesellschaft is pleased to present the Hannah Arendt Library to you.

Hannah Arendt, one of the most important political theorists of the 20th century, was deeply connected to the theme of flight, both through her own experiences and through her theoretical reflections. Her life and work thus offer profound insights into the human and political dimensions of flight and exile.

This made her the namesake of the Hanover-based Hannah Arendt Library. The collection includes works that migrants and refugees either brought to Hanover or sent from their home countries. This results in a collection that emphasizes culture and identity and becomes a library of survival: alongside the traditions, cultures and stories that the books carry within them, the history of the creation of the collection is one of the most striking. Flight and violence, resistance and new beginnings.

The main subject areas covered by the Hannah Arendt Library are mainly in the informal and artistic areas, which means that it can be classified as a thematic and special library.

After the Hannah Arendt Library lost its permanent location in 2022 in the Nordstadt community center in 2022, the books are homeless, temporarily stored in various locations and are waiting to be brought together again.

From November 2024, the books of the Hannah Arendt Library will be able to leave their exile and become part of the Kestner Gesellschaft exhibition Between Past and Future. Eight Exercises in Political Thought. We are looking forward to presenting the collection of the Hannah Arendt Library in our project space Shifting Present and to develop a transformative concept for a permanent home under our roof.

We would like to cordially thank the custodian of the Hannah Arendt Library, Walter Koch for a beautiful collaboration and a friendship.