Georg Forster (1754–1794) was one of the most fascinating figure of his century: a brilliant writer, natural scientist, explorer, painter, translator and a revolutionary. He touched icebergs with his own hands during his circumnavigation around the globe with James Cook, strolled around Tahiti‘s beach, visited indigenous people, lived among “cannibals” and crossed oceans and the equator. Even more: he was a central part of the political events of his time when, inspired by the French Revolution, he proclaimed the “Republic of Mainz” in 1793, the first republic on German ground. No one before (and after) him has dedicated himself to such an experiment, to hot-wire nature and politics in such a matter. The sparks that were created by his general principles illuminated the world for an instant and raised hope for the possibility of something like “natural revolutions”.
Awards
Leipzig Book Fair Prize 2016 Gleim Literature Prize 2015Sample translation
Complete English translation available
Jürgen Goldstein, born 1962, is a full professor for Philosophy at the University Koblenz-Landau. His books deal with the emergence of modern subjectivity and rationality, the political philosophy of 20th century and the history of nature perception.
By the same author(s)
»How Forster's way of thinking hot-wired the two key concepts of his epoch - nature and revolution - is impressively traced back by Goldstein: in a grippingly lucid style and, whereever possible, preserving the ›treasure of the exact wording‹ by quotations from Forster's diaries, letters and works.«
Oliver Pfohlmann, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
