Wolfram Eilenberger

Wolfram Eilenberger
Born	(1972-08-07) 7 August 1972 Freiburg im Breisgau, West Germany
Nationality	German
Notable work	Time of the Magicians, The Visionaries
Spouse	Pia-Maria Päiviö
Website	www.wolfram-eilenberger.de

Wolfram Eilenberger (born 7 August 1972) is a German philosopher and journalist.

Biography

Eilenberger was born on 7 August 1972 in Freiburg im Breisgau to government councillor Lothar Eilenberger and Eva Eilenberger, a physiotherapist. Raised in Karlsruhe-Waldstadt, he completed his secondary education at Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium in Karlsruhe. Eilenberger pursued higher education in philosophy, psychology, and Romance studies at the universities of Heidelberg, Turku, and Zürich.

His academic career was notably advanced by a doctoral scholarship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. In 2008, he earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Zurich, presenting a dissertation on Mikhail Bakhtin's cultural philosophy under the supervision of Michael Hampe.

Eilenberger commenced his journalistic endeavors in 1999. His early work included contributions as a columnist to the Ethics Council of 'Die Zeit' and the sports philosophy column "Live from the Ivory Tower" in 'Der Tagesspiegel'. Between 2003 and 2010, he served as a philosophical correspondent for 'Cicero' magazine under chief editor Wolfram Weimer.

In 2011, Eilenberger was appointed editor-in-chief of 'Philosophie Magazin', a position he held until 2017 when he opted to leave to focus on literary pursuits. Since 2018, he has been a co-host of 'Sternstunde Philosophie', a philosophical program on Swiss television SRF, working alongside Barbara Bleisch and Yves Bossart. He is also a co-director of the International Philosophy Festival phil.cologne, which commenced in 2013.

Eilenberger is married to Pia-Maria Päiviö, a Fenno-Ugric scholar and former Finnish national basketball player. They have two adult daughters and reside in Berlin. His career reflects significant contributions to both philosophical discourse and public media, bridging complex ideas with a broader audience.

Works

Wolfram Eilenberger's narrative non-fiction books, which have been translated into 30 languages as of March 2023, have earned him recognition as one of the most widely translated contemporary non-fiction authors writing in German. His 2018 book, "Zeit der Zauberer" (The Time of the Magicians), marked a significant international breakthrough. Published by Klett-Cotta in March 2018, the book explores the pivotal decade of philosophy from 1919 to 1929, focusing on the lives and thoughts of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Ernst Cassirer, Walter Benjamin, and Martin Heidegger. It received the Bavarian Book Prize in 2018 and the prestigious Prix du Meilleur livre étranger in France in 2019. The book remained on Der Spiegel's bestseller list for over seven months and achieved bestseller status in Italy, Spain, and Denmark.

"Zeit der Zauberer" garnered widespread acclaim both nationally and internationally. Critics praised Eilenberger's narrative skill and the innovative parallelization of the philosophers' lives and teachings. It was described as a "technical masterpiece" by The Times and an excellent integration of biography and the history of ideas by El País.

In the autumn of 2020, Eilenberger released "Feuer der Freiheit" (Fire of Freedom), focusing on philosophers Hannah Arendt, Simone de Beauvoir, Simone Weil, and Ayn Rand during World War II. Like his previous work, this book also made it to Der Spiegel's bestseller list and was shortlisted for the Tractatus Prize in 2021.

Additional works

Eilenberger's earlier works include "Finnen von Sinnen" (2010), a humorous account of his experiences in Finland, which quickly became a bestseller. His 2009 dissertation on Mikhail Bakhtin's philosophy, criticized for its reliance on predominantly English translations, was published under the title "Das Werden des Menschen im Wort." In 2005, he published "Philosophie für alle," an introduction to philosophy through everyday situations, which earned him the Mindelheimer Philosophiepreis in 2011.

Eilenberger regularly writes essays on political and cultural topics for publications like Der Spiegel, Die Welt, and El País. Since 2020, he has been writing the column "Unter uns" for Philosophie Magazin and occasionally hosts the philosophy program "Sein und Streit" on Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

Selected works

• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2020). Time of the Magicians: Wittgenstein, Benjamin, Cassirer, Heidegger, and the Decade That Reinvented Philosophy. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0141988543.
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2023). Fire of Thought: Philosophy in Turbulent Times. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0241407922.

In German

• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2005). Philosophie für alle, die noch etwas vorhaben (Philosophy for Everyone Who Still Has Plans). Berlin Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8270-0581-6. 2nd edition: Berliner Taschenbuch-Verlag, Berlin, 2007. ISBN 978-3-8333-0476-7.
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2006). Lob des Tores: 40 Flanken in Fußballphilosophie (In Praise of the Goal: 40 Crosses into Football Philosophy). Berliner Taschenbuch-Verlag. ISBN 3-8333-0361-1.
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2008). This is not America: Philosophen sprechen über die Lage des Landes (This is Not America: Philosophers Discuss the State of the Country). Matthes und Seitz. ISBN 978-3-88221-738-4.
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2009). Das Werden des Menschen im Wort: Eine Studie zur Kulturphilosophie Michail M. Bachtins (The Becoming of Man in the Word: A Study on the Cultural Philosophy of Mikhail M. Bakhtin). Chronos, Zürich. ISBN 978-3-0340-0923-2 (Also: Zürich, Univ., Diss., 2008).
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2009). Kleine Menschen, große Fragen: 20 philosophische Fragen für die Erwachsenen von morgen – und heute (Small People, Big Questions: 20 Philosophical Questions for Tomorrow's Adults – and Today). Berlin-Verlag, Berlin. ISBN 978-3-8270-0827-5. Berliner Taschenbuch-Verlag, Berlin, 2010. ISBN 978-3-8333-0667-9.
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2010, 2012²). Finnen von Sinnen: Von einem, der auszog, eine finnische Frau zu heiraten (Mad Finns: About One Who Set Out to Marry a Finnish Woman). Blanvalet, Munich. ISBN 978-3-442-37583-7.
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2012). Kanada kann mich mal: Von einem, der mit seinen Kindern in die Ferne zog (Canada Can Kiss My A**: About One Who Moved to the Distance with His Children). Blanvalet, Munich. ISBN 978-3-7645-0404-5.
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (Ed.) (2014). Der Tatort und die Philosophie: Schlauer werden mit der beliebtesten Fernsehserie (Tatort and Philosophy: Getting Smarter with the Most Popular TV Series). Tropen, Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-608-50327-2.
• Eilenberger, Wolfram (2021). Das Ruhrgebiet. Versuch einer Liebeserklärung (The Ruhr Area: An Attempt at a Declaration of Love). Tropen, Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-608-50507-8.