The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt

Political thinker and philosopher Hannah Arendt was a genius, a survivor and a firebrand. Her distinctive perspective on politics and the human condition has influenced countless writers across genres and disciplines. Moreover, her advocacy of cultural critics like Walter Benjamin helped highlight their work. The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt is a graphic novel that plays with memory and thought, most interested in particular points in her life than an encyclopedic retelling of her biography.
 
Ken Krimstein, a cartoonist whose work has been published in the New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal, uses quick outlines and shade to create a world where lost loves and dead friends can emerge from the background to offer commentary or to interact with Arendt as she thinks through her work. There's a rushed quality to the pictures, but that is clearly purposeful, as if Krimstein wants his work to mirror the "escapes" he's depicting in his art. What's certainly clear is how deeply the author respects and understands his subject, beautifully elucidating key arguments in her work as well as defending her robust reputation as a thinker during her lifetime (and which has since come under attack in intellectual circles). The Three Escapes nicely introduces Arendt's life and work to those unfamiliar with her, but it may be best for fans who can pick up Krimstein's references and fully grasp the context of the scenes he lays out. Still, the book is a wonderful honoring of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. --Noah Cruickshank, adult engagement manager, the Field Museum, Chicago, Ill.
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