Navid Kermani Explained

Navid Kermani
Birth Place:	Siegen, West Germany
Birth Date:	27 November 1967
Occupation:	Novelist, essayist

Navid Kermani (pronounced as /de/; Persian: نوید کرمانی; in Persian pronounced as /næˈviːd keɾmɒːˈniː/; born 27 November 1967 in Siegen, Germany) is a German writer and orientalist. He is the author of several novels as well as books and essays on Islam, the Middle East and Christian-Muslim dialogue.^{[1] [2]} He has won numerous prizes for his literary and academic work, including the Peace Prize of the German Publishers' Association on 18 June 2015.

Life

Navid Kermani was born the fourth son of Iranian parents in Siegen, West Germany. He began his writing career at age 15 as a local reporter for the Westfälische Rundschau.^[3] As a student he published in German national newspapers; from 1996 to 2000 he was a regular contributor to the cultural section of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He studied philosophy, Oriental studies and drama in Cologne, Cairo and Bonn. His doctoral thesis has been published in English translation as God Is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Quran.

He regularly publishes articles, literary reviews and travelogues, especially in Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Der Spiegel.

In the preface of his book Between Quran and Kafka: West-Eastern Affinities he acknowledges that he is an Orientalist and his world view has been shaped by his childhood interactions living in a German society.

Bibliography

• Offenbarung als Kommunikation: Das Konzept wahy in Nasr Hamid Abu Zaids Mafhum an-nass, Frankfurt et al. 1996 (Peter Lang).
• Book: Kermani, Navid . Gott ist schön . C.H.Beck . 2000 . 978-3-406-46738-7 . de.
• Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid: Ein Leben mit dem Islam, Freiburg 1999: Herder.
• Iran: Die Revolution der Kinder, Munich 2000: C. H. Beck.
• Dynamit des Geistes: Martyrium, Islam und Nihilismus, Göttingen 2002: Wallstein.
• Das Buch der von Neil Young Getöteten, Zurich 2002: Ammann: Cologne 2004; Kiepenheuer; Berlin 2013: Suhrkamp.
• Schöner Neuer Orient: Berichte von Städten und Kriegen, Munich 2003: C. H. Beck; Munich 2007: dtv.
• Toleranz: Drei Lesarten zu Lessings Märchen vom Ring im Jahre 2003 (with Angelika Overath and Robert Schindel), Göttingen 2003: Wallstein.
• Vierzig Leben, Zurich 2004: Ammann.
• Du sollst, Zurich 2005: Ammann.
• Der Schrecken Gottes Munich 2005: C. H. Beck.
• Strategie der Eskalation: Der Nahe Osten und die Politik des Westens, Göttingen 2005: Wallstein.
• Nach Europa, Zurich 2006: Ammann.
• Ayda, Bär und Hase, Vienna 2006: Picus.
• Mehdi Bazargan, Und Jesus ist sein Prophet: Der Koran und die Christen, German trans. from the Persian by Markus Gerhold, ed. and with an introduction by Navid Kermani, Munich 2006: C. H. Beck.
• Kurzmitteilung, Zurich 2007: Ammann.
• Wer ist Wir? Deutschland und seine Muslime, Munich 2009: C. H. Beck.
• Ausnahmezustände: Reisen in eine beunruhigte Welt, Munich 2013: C. H. Beck.
• Zwischen Koran und Kafka: West-östliche Erkundungen, Munich 2014: C. H. Beck.
• Ungläubiges Staunen: Über das Christentum, Munich 2015: C. H. Beck.
• Sozusagen Paris, Munich 2016: Hanser.
• Einbruch der Wirklichkeit: Auf dem Flüchtlingstreck durch Europa, Munich 2016: C. H. Beck.
• Entlang den Gräben: Eine Reise durch das östliche Europa bis nach Isfahan, Munich 2018: C. H. Beck.
• Morgen ist da: Reden, Munich 2019: C. H. Beck.
• Jeder soll von da, wo er ist, einen Schritt näher kommen: Fragen nach Gott, Munich 2022: Hanser.

In English translation

• Book: Kermani, Navid . The Terror of God: Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt . Polity . Cambridge, UK . 2011 . 978-0-7456-4527-8 . 668946700. Wieland Hoban.
• Book: Kermani . Navid . Tony Crawford. God is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Quran . 2015 . Cambridge, UK . 978-0745651675. Polity Press . 881418248.
• Book: Kermani, Navid . Between Quran and Kafka: West-eastern Affinities . Polity Press . Cambridge, UK . 2016 . 978-1-5095-0033-8 . 940342167. Tony Crawford.
• Book: Kermani, Navid . Upheaval: The Refugee Trek through Europe . Polity Press . Cambridge, UK . 2017 . 978-1-5095-1868-5 . 982184554. Tony Crawford.
• Book: Kermani . Navid . Wonder Beyond Belief: On Christianity . 2017 . Cambridge, UK . Polity Press. 978-1509514847. Tony Crawford . English. (2018 Schlegel-Tieck Prize.)
• Book: Kermani, Navid . State of Emergency: Travels in a Troubled World . Polity . Cambridge, UK . 2018 . 978-1-5095-1470-0. Tony Crawford.
• Book: Kermani, Navid . Love Writ Large . Alexander Booth. Seagull Books . London . 2019 . 978-0-85742-602-4 . 1051682987.
• Book: Kermani, Navid . Along the Trenches: A Journey through Eastern Europe to Isfahan . Polity Press . Cambridge, UK . 2020 . 978-1-5095-3557-6 . 1097364913. Tony Crawford.
• Book: Kermani, Navid . Tomorrow Is Here: Speeches . Polity Press . Cambridge, UK . 2022 . 978-1-5095-5056-2 . 1292971292. Tony Crawford.
• Book: Kermani, Navid . Everyone, Wherever You Are, Come One Step Closer: Questions about God . Polity Press . Cambridge, UK . 2023 . 978-1-5095-5628-1 . 1389811523 . Tony Crawford.
• Book: Kermani, Navid . What Is Possible Now: 33 Political Situations . Polity Press . Cambridge, UK . 2023 . 978-1-5095-5764-6 . 1378713376 . Tony Crawford.

Awards and distinctions

• 2009: Hessian Cultural Prize^[4]
• 2011: Buber-Rosenzweig-Medal
• 2011: Hannah Arendt Prize^[5]
• 2012: Kleist Prize^[6]
• 2012: Cicero Prize for public speaking^[7]
• 2014: Joseph Breitbach Prize^[8]
• 2015: Member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts
• 2015: Peace Prize of the German Publishers' Association^[9]
• 2015: Jan Michalski Prize for Literature finalist for Zwischen Koran und Kafka: West-östliche Erkundungen^[10]
• 2020: Friedrich-Hölderlin-Preis^{[11] [12]}
• 2024: Thomas Mann Prize^[13]

Other activities

• Avicenna-Studienwerk, Member of the Board of Trustees^[14]
• Goethe Institute, Member of the Committee for the Goethe Medal^[15]
• Green Helmets, Member of the Board of Trustees^[16]

Controversy

In 2009, the German state of Hesse decided to award its 45,000 euro Hessian Cultural Prize in July 2009 jointly to a Jew, a Muslim, a Catholic and a Lutheran to honour those involved in interfaith dialogue. There was controversy over Kermani's nomination as one of the three winners because of an essay in which Kermani had written about his feelings on seeing a painting of the crucifixion by the seventeenth-century Italian painter Guido Reni. The issue was ultimately resolved, and Cardinal Karl Lehmann,, Kermani, and Salomon Korn jointly received the prize on 26 November 2009.^{[17] [18]} Kermani donated his share of the award to a Christian priest.^[19]

Personal life

Kermani holds German and Iranian citizenship. He has two children with the Islam scholar Katajun Amirpur, from whom he was divorced in 2020.^[20] He lives in Cologne.

External links

• • Web site: . Search results for "Kermani" . 2021-06-23 . de . . 2021-09-25.
• Web site: German-Iranian author receives culture prize after religious row . 2009-11-27 . . en . . 2021-09-25.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Navid Kermani to assume post as guest lecturer in poetry.
2. http://www.navidkermani.de/view.php?nid=64 Lebenslauf
3. Goethe-Institut: Navid Kermani: Schriftsteller, Orientalist und Kölner Weltbürger
4. http://www.muenster.de/~angergun/kermani-kulturpreis.html Link list on the proposed retraction of Navid Kermani's Hessian Cultural Prize
5. http://www.3sat.de/page/?source=/kulturzeit/news/155685/index.html Award announced in July, 2011
6. Navid Kermani erhält Kleist-Preis 2012. In: Saarbrücker Zeitung, 21 August 2012, p. B4.
7. https://www.derwesten.de/kultur/schriftsteller-kermani-wird-mit-cicero-rednerpreis-ausgezeichnet-id7131539.html Schriftsteller Kermani wird mit Cicero-Rednerpreis ausgezeichnet.
8. http://derstandard.at/2000001385915/Navid-Kermani-erhaelt-Breitbach-Literaturpreis Navid Kermani erhält Breitbach-Literaturpreis.
9. Web site: Navid Kermani . Peace Prize of the German Publishers' Association . 18 October 2015 . 27 November 2020.
10. Web site: 2015 Edition . Jan Michalski Prize for Literature . November 27, 2015.
11. Web site: Hölderlinpreis 2020 . Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe . 28 August 2020 . de . 27 November 2020.
12. News: Kermani . Navid . 7 November 2020 . Der fremde Blick . . Frankfurt . 27 November 2020.
13. News: Eydlin . Alexander . 17 November 2023 . Navid Kermani bekommt Thomas-Mann-Preis 2024 . . Hamburg . 22 November 2023.
14. Web site: Das Studienwerk - Kuratorium . Avicenna-Studienwerk e.V. . 2021-09-23 . de . 2021-09-25.
15. https://www.goethe.de/en/uun/org/gre.html Organization
16. https://gruenhelme.de/team-blank/kuratorium/ Board of Trustees
17. http://www.iranian.com/main/2009/may/navid-kermani The Iranian 05/17/2009
18. Hessen Cultural Prize: Koch apologizes to Kermani
19. Web site: . Priest bridges religious divide by funding Germany's biggest mosque . The Christian Science Monitor . 2010-01-01 . 2021-09-25.
20. News: Frank . Joachim . Kermani und Amirpur geschieden . 11 January 2023 . Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger . 8 August 2021.