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Leonhard Emmerling - "Idiots" - W. J. T. Mitchell
Featured Book
Idiots: The History of the Homo Nullus
In a world obsessed with expertise and control, the figure of the idiot illuminates deeper truths about society. Dostoevsky and Nietzsche wrote about him; Dadaists and punks idolized him; artists like Warhol and Beuys made him their icon. From holy fool to punk rebel, the idiot--a figure that traces its roots back to the Greek idiotes, a person who was alienated from public life--has always challenged society's norms from the margins. Far from a simple madman, the idiot is a powerful subversive, a person who disregards norms and finds profound insight in a state of unmediated inspiration. Using a cross-disciplinary approach bridging literature, religion, art, and philosophy, this volume traces a rich journey up to the present, where the idiot reemerges in a dramatic twist: a public figure who inverts social norms, confounds the boundary between private and public, and declares a new, paradoxical view of the world.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
Leonhard Emmerling will discuss his new book "Idiots: The History of the Homo Nullus." He will be joined in conversation by W. J. T. Mitchell. A Q&A and book signing will follow the discussion.
At the Seminary Co-op
About the Book: In a world obsessed with expertise and control, the figure of the idiot illuminates deeper truths about society.
Dostoevsky and Nietzsche wrote about him; Dadaists and punks idolized him; artists like Warhol and Beuys made him their icon. From holy fool to punk rebel, the idiot—a figure that traces its roots back to the Greek idiotes, a person who was alienated from public life—has always challenged society’s norms from the margins. Far from a simple madman, the idiot is a powerful subversive, a person who disregards norms and finds profound insight in a state of unmediated inspiration. Using a cross-disciplinary approach bridging literature, religion, art, and philosophy, this volume traces a rich journey up to the present, where the idiot reemerges in a dramatic twist: a public figure who inverts social norms, confounds the boundary between private and public, and declares a new, paradoxical view of the world.
About the Author: Leonhard Emmerling, who holds a PhD from the University of Heidelberg, worked as a curator, author and teacher in Germany, New Zealand and India. He currently serves as the director of the Goethe-Institut Chicago. He authored several books, among other on Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock. His most recent books published in English are “The art of diremption” and “Idiots. The History of the Homo Nullus”. His most recent publication in German is "Aesthetics. What for?"
About the Interlocutor: W. J. T. Mitchell is Emeritus Professor of English, Art History, and Cinema at the University of Chicago. He is known for his many publications on art, visual culture, and media politics, including "Iconology" (1986), "Picture Theory" (1994), "What Do Pictures Want?" (2005), and "Image Science" (2015). "Mental Traveler," a memoir of his son’s twenty year struggle with schizophrenia appeared in 2020. He was editor-in-chief of the journal Critical Inquiry from 1977-2020. His latest book, "Seeing through Madness: Essays in Crazy Times," will be published by the University of Chicago Press in 2026.
Featured Author
Leonhard Emmerling
Leonhard Emmerling, who holds a PhD from the University of Heidelberg, worked as a curator, author and teacher in Germany, New Zealand and India. He currently serves as the director of the Goethe-Institut Chicago. He authored several books, among other on Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock. His most recent books published in English are “The art of diremption” and “Idiots. The History of the Homo Nullus”. His most recent publication in German is "Aesthetics. What for?"
In Conversation With
W. J. T. Mitchell
W. J. T. Mitchell is Emeritus Professor of English, Art History, and Cinema at the University of Chicago. He is known for his many publications on art, visual culture, and media politics, including Iconology (1986), Picture Theory (1994), What Do Pictures Want? (2005), and Image Science (2015). Mental Traveler, a memoir of his son’s twenty year struggle with schizophrenia appeared in 2020. He was editor-in-chief of the journal Critical Inquiry from 1977-2020. His latest book, Seeing through Madness: Essays in Crazy Times, will be published by the University of Chicago Press in 2026.
About the Venue
Seminary Co-Op Bookstore
For over 60 years, the Seminary Co-op Bookstores has served as a cultural anchor in and beyond Chicago; as the first not-for-profit bookstore whose mission is bookselling, their stores, which include 57th Street Books, celebrate the power of the browsing experience to inspire curiosity, discovery, and delight.
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A Conversation with Nikita Gill!
Nikita Gill will discuss her newest book STYX: The River, followed by a book signing. She will be joined in conversation by Erika L. Sánchez. BUY TICKETS HERE (Tickets are Required) Join us for a conversation with New York Times bestselling author Nikita Gill as she discusses her new book, STYX: The River. She will be joined in conversation by New York Times bestselling author Erika L. Sánchez. A book signing will follow the discussion. We are so excited to welcome Nikita Gill and Erika L. Sánchez to the Seminary Co-op! About the Book: Perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and Alexandra Bracken, this novel-in-verse from world-renowned poet Nikita Gill is a richly imagined retelling of the Greek myth of Styx, goddess of the underworld river. Before the tale of Zeus and Hera, and their powerful siblings, there were the Titans. A golden age of divinity when the earth was still new. Back then, there was no hierarchy. There were simply Gods and Goddesses. Until one God broke the sacred peace and decided that under his new order, lesser Goddesses would lose their divinity and were instead named nymphs. But Goddesses are an ancient force, unanswerable to anyone. This is an untold story of a nymph who fought the odds. A tale of a nymph who became a Goddess. This fierce and heartrending tale of sisterhood, identity, love, and war reimagines a Greek myth to explore the fall of the Titanomachy and showcases the coming of age of one of the most infamous deities of the underworld. Meet all the Goddesses of the Underworld: Hekate: The Witch Styx: The River Nyx: The Night (coming Fall 2027!) About Nikita Gill: Nikita Gill is an Irish-Indian poet, playwright, illustrator, and author based in the south of England. She has written and curated seven volumes of poetry, including Wild Embers, Fierce Fairytales, Great Goddesses, and These Are the Words. Her novel Hekate: The Witch, the first book in her chthonic gods trilogy, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Nikita is one of the most followed poets on Instagram and her work is beloved around the world. Nikita invites you to visit her on Instagram @nikita_gill About Erika L. Sánchez: Erika L. Sánchez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Her debut poetry collection, Lessons on Expulsion, was a finalist for the PEN America Open Book Award. Her debut young adult novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a National Book Awards finalist, and Tomás Rivera Award winner. Time has recognized it as one of the best YA novels of all time. It is now is being made into a MGM Orion film directed by America Ferrera. She is an executive producer on the project. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter has also been adapted to the theater at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, Seattle Rep Theater, Greenway Court Theater in Los Angeles, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Also, her novel has been banned across the country due to its “controversial” themes. Most recently, Sánchez published a critically acclaimed memoir-in-essays titled Crying in the Bathroom with Viking Books. It won the Chicago Review of Books Nonfiction award and has been optioned for television. Sánchez was a Fulbright Scholar, a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent fellow from the Poetry Foundation, a Princeton Arts Fellow, a recipient of the 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation, and a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in poetry. Sánchez earned a BA from UIC and an MFA from the University of New Mexico. Her books have been translated and published in Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, and Italy. She’s appeared on WGN, PBS, NPR, Good Morning America, Telemundo, Univision, and MSNBC. Erika holds an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from New School University. She lives in Chicago with her family.
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor on End Times Fascism
A new iteration of the far right is on the rise. Award-winning authors and organizers Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor join us to share a dangerous development they’ve identified: Christian nationalists, tech-bro reactionaries, and populist survivalists are united in their apocalyptic belief that some kind of cleansing cataclysm is coming. And, rather than avoiding this conflagration, they welcome it. Klein and Taylor will provide a recipe for how to fight back, because most of us desperately want a future we can believe in — and leaders who believe in us. This event is generously underwritten by Ellen Stone Belic. We are pleased to partner with the Seminary Co-op Bookstores, the country’s first not-for-profit bookstore. Pre-order End Times Fascism through the Chicago Humanities box office and save up to 20% while supporting local, independent bookselling. Add books to your cart when adding tickets. Your PDF ticket will contain a book voucher, which you show to the bookseller on-site to pick up your book(s). Please visit our FAQ for more information.
Emily St. John Mandel - Exit Party
Join us as Emily St. John Mandel, the award-winning author of Station Eleven, Sea of Tranquility, and The Glass Hotel, celebrates the release of her breathtaking new novel, Exit Party. Known for her genre-defying works of fiction, Mandel will explore the price of safety, the perils of the surveillance state, and resilience in the face of cataclysmic change. She’ll be joined in conversation by podcast host Greta Johnsen. Mandel’s books have been translated into 25 languages, and Station Eleven was adapted into a critically acclaimed 10-episode limited series on HBO, set and filmed in Chicago.