Author(s): Ken Krimstein

Graphic Novel

'A genre-breaking insight into one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century' Stylist's Emerald Street'Incredible' Deborah LevyA hero of political thought, the largely unsung and often misunderstood Hannah Arendt is perhaps best known for her landmark book, The Origins of Totalitarianism.Arendt led an extraordinary life. Having endured Nazi persecution firsthand, she fled across Europe, coming to live in a world inhabited by such luminaries as Marc Chagall, Marlene Dietrich, Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud. She ultimately sacrificed her unique genius for philosophy and her love of a much-compromised man - the philosopher and Nazi-sympathiser Martin Heidegger - for what she called 'love of the world'.Strikingly illustrated, this compassionate and timely biography illuminates the life of a complex, controversial, deeply flawed yet irrefutably courageous woman whose experiences and writings shine a light on how to live as an individual and a public citizen in troubled times.

Review: An incredible story, artfully told with exuberance, humour and compassion -- Deborah Levy
This hypnotic graphic biography by Ken Krimstein is a genre-breaking insight into one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century * Stylist's Emerald Street *
Ken Krimstein's deeply moving graphic memoir about the life and thoughts of philosopher Hannah Arendt is not only about Hannah Arendt. It's also, through her words, about how to live in the world, the meaning of freedom, the perils of totalitarianism, and our power as human beings to think about things and not just act blindly. Krimstein explains Arendt's ideas with clarity, wit and enormous erudition, and they still resonate -- Roz Chast, New York Times No. 1 bestselling author
A remarkable feat of imagination ... At once the story of an iconic figure and a requiem for a generation -- Morris Dickstein, author of 'Dancing in the Dark'
In this brilliant, beautiful, and all-too-timely reimagining of the life of Hannah Arendt, Ken Krimstein has invented a new way to chronicle one of the 20th century's most inventive thinkers. The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt is in turns a wartime adventure tale, coming-of-age story, graphic novel of ideas, political biography, and love letter to truth-telling. There is magic on these pages -- Michael Tisserand, author of 'Krazy'
Riveting, engaging, and enlightening, Ken Krimstein's graphic biography is the most intimate and imaginative dive to date into Arendt's personal and political lives -- Roger Berkowitz, Academic Director, Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities, Bard College
As an admirer of Hannah Arendt, I appreciate the significant enrichment that this book offers to an understanding of her life and times. Ken Krimstein brings his spare and elegant aesthetic to the depiction of a profound life lived in the shadow of fascism -- Emil Ferris, author of 'My Favorite Thing is Monsters'
This by turns whimsical and poignant work is irresistible -- Joseph Berger, author of 'Displaced Persons'
Ken Krimstein conveys a fundamental, crucial message regarding Arendt's thinking about the world and the possibility of a recurrence of the thoughtless, meaningless evil of destruction that appeared in 20th century totalitarian regimes. The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt is beguiling, unsettling, and marvelous -- Jerome Kohn, Trustee, Hannah Arendt Bluecher Literary Trust
As Krimstein deftly weaves Arendt's life and thought, he captures the excitement of the philosophical enterprise in both word and image ... Both smart and entertaining; highly recommended and not just for graphic novels readers * Library Journal *
The astounding life of a 20th-century original as told by a skillful cartoonist frolicking in long form * Kirkus Reviews *
A primer for Arendt's ways of thinking and also for that of many of her friends and acquaintances ... But it is deeply concerned, too, with extremism and how attentive one should be to changes in the political atmosphere * Observer *

Author Biography: Ken Krimstein has published cartoons in the New Yorker, Punch, the Wall Street Journal, and more. He is the author of Kvetch as Kvetch Can, and teaches at De Paul University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.