Nietzsche and the Jews

A mini-symposium on the early reception of Nietzsche among Jewish intellectuals.

With lectures by Steven Aschheim, prof. em. of intellectual history (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), and Prof. of germanistic Christian Benne (Copenhagen University). Followed by a discussion with Prof. of Philosophy Hans Ruin(Södertörn university, Stockholm), and Victoria Fareld, Ass Prof of intellectual History (Stockholm University).

A striking fact of the early reception of Nietzsche, from the 1880s is the important role played by Jewish readers, interpreters, and translators. Nietzsche was first “discovered” as a new and pioneering European thinker through the legendary lecture series given by Georg Brandes at the University of Copenhagen in the spring of 1888. In England his strongest supporter and the editor of the first complete English edition (1909-) of his works was the German-British physician and writer and translator Oscar Levy. In Sweden his most prolific early translator and supporter of the German Nietzsche archive was Ernest Thiel. Among leading Sionists, many were also Nietzscheans, including Martin Buber. The symposium will discuss this early Jewish reception of Nietzsche’s works and thinking in its multifaceted shape and implications, in lectures by leading international scholars, followed by a panel discussion.

Steven Aschheim, is prof. em. of European Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Among his books are: Beyond the Border: The German-Jewish Legacy Abroad (2007); In Times of Crisis: Essays on European Culture, Germans and Jews (2001); Culture and Catastrophe: German and Jewish Confrontations with National Socialism and Other Crises (1996); The Nietzsche Legacy in Germany, 1890-1990, 1992); Brothers and Strangers: The East European Jew in German and German-Jewish Consciousness, 1800-1923 (1982).

Christian Benne, is prof. of Germanistics at Copenhagen University. Among his books are: Nietzsche und die historisch-kritische Philologie (2005): Mit Texten denken: Eine Literatur-Philosophie (2021)

Hans Ruin is professor of philosophy at Södertörn university (Stockholm). He was co-responsible for the complete edition of Nietzsche’s works in Swedish (Samlade skrifter, Symposion förlag, 2000-2021), and is the author of I förnuftets skugga. Essäer om Nietzsches filosofi (2021).

Victoria Fareld is assistant professor in Intellectual History at Stockholm university. She has published Att vara utom sig inom sig : Charles Taylor, erkännandet och Hegels aktualitet (2008); co-edited From Marx to Hegel and back : capitalism, critique, and utopia (2020); and written the postface to a recently published translation of Jean Amery in Swedish, Bortom skuld och botgöring : en betvingads försök att betvinga sitt öde (2021)