the German words "Gegen" and "über" are separated by blue waves

Transatlantic Musings

the German words "Gegen" and "über" are separated by blue waves


Hannah Arendt

Fifty years after her death, the work of German-American philosopher and author Hannah Arendt remains strikingly relevant. In the face of today’s complex challenges, her work compels to revisit fundamental questions of freedom, responsibility, and judgment. In this dossier we approach Arendt’s life and work in a nuanced and insightful way and invite you to reflect on them in a contemporary context: What does it mean today to think and act in the spirit of Hannah Arendt?

Illustration: Hannah Arendt halb liegend mit rauchender Zigarette in der rechten Hand Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

Film Series
 Berlin Nights

Failed robberies, chance encounters, and plenty of clubbing—what happens in Berlin after dark, when the lights go out (or stay on), is endless. This film collection offers an overview of the nighttime potential of the iconic capital and the diversity of characters who find themselves at the center of the action.

Berlin Nights_Ellenbogen © Haydat Tastan/Achtung Panda!

Literature

150 years of Thomas Mann

Thomas Mann was one of Germany's most important writers, a Nobel Prize winner and political commentator. He left behind an enduring literary legacy. On the occasion of his 150th birthday, we take a look at his life and work.
150 years Thomas Mann © Autograf
DJ Koze DJ Koze | Photo (detail): © Pampa Records

Pop and Electronic Music 2025
 Rebels and Babyfaces

Gender, the Middle East and the club crisis – 2025 was a political year for German pop, with Gen Z artists boldly expressing their aesthetic vision, while still finding time for duets with Ski Aggu.

Joachim Hentschel

Literature

Being Kafka

Why does Franz Kafka’s spell remain unbroken a hundred years after his death? Why do we still perceive Kafka as so modern and contemporary? Because Kafka wrote such beautiful letters? Because we love drama queens? Because we feel that the world has never been more Kafkaesque than it is today? Join us as we step into Kafka’s world! Be Kafka!
Why do we still find Kafka so modern and current? Illustration by Roberto Maján

Among Friends

On the Road

Two authors from Germany – Sonali Beher and Iven Yorick Fenker, both students at the German Institute for Literature in Leipzig – traveled along the East Coast of the United States, from New York to Texas, in the fall of 2025. The articles below trace their literary impressions and personal turning points along the way.

Follow the voices of a new generation as they recount their experiences of traveling through the United States without a driver’s license, reflect on American and German society, and share personal observations and philosophical insights beyond the mainstream.
Unterwegs 2300 x 1000 © Ricardo Roa

German Series in the USA

Binge Fever!

Television “Made in Germany” is having a golden moment with the rise of international streaming services. In our dossier, we highlight binge-worthy German serials and fill you in on where to watch them in the USA.
Serienfieber Illustration einer Hand mit Fernbedienung © Colourbox / Image editing Goethe-Institut Los Angeles

Creative dissent
 Stir it up!

What to do when inner values and outer reality can no longer be reconciled? Ignore, despair, laugh at, protest? Gegenüber sheds light on the power of creativity and forms of resistance — and asks: When is the right moment to change the world? A transatlantic journey through society, history, and resistance.

Jenseits der Parolen © Ricardo Roa

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Solidarität © Ricardo Roa

Double Exposure

In today's individualized societies, there is a tension between solidarity and universalism. The challenge is to respect diversity and individual freedom without losing a sense of shared responsibility and belonging. Only this double exposure makes it possible for people to stand up for each other in solidarity and respect universal values despite their differences. 
Belonging? School of fish version Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton at Unsplash

Belonging

How far has a radically open society been realized in the face of growing nationalist narratives on both sides of the Atlantic? The issue “Belonging” of Gegenüber magazine tells of life in a different homeland to one's grandparents, of cultural reproductions and mutations from one place to another, of new roots and aspects of exclusion that should not be alien to anyone, but which weigh differently. And it asks whether the concept of “native” vs. “migrant” is still valid.
Tonspuren Illustration: © Hanka Sedláček

Soundtracks

(Pop) culture is closely connected with the socio-political circumstances of its time. With eight German-language songs from eight decades, music journalist Mario Lasar sheds some light on important cultural and social phenomena in (West) German post-war history.
Collage made out of three film stills Created by Ricardo Roa. Copyrights (stills) 1: © UFA Fiction 2018; 2: © CORSO Film- und Fernsehproduktion; 3: © Markus Zucker / 2022 Schiwago Film, DOMAR Film

Free streaming of German films

On this site, we present a variety of online film programs, film festivals and film series that can be streamed from home. More information about the alternating film series can be found here. The films are presented in original language with subtitles. They are accessible online and free of charge after registration.
Gegenüber Talks © Ricardo Roa

Gegenüber TALKS

The Goethe-Instituts in North America invite you to a digital literature series that celebrates the diversity of German literature - from new voices and graphic novels to classics, utopias, and dystopias. The exchange with authors, publicists and literature fans from North America and Germany will lead to exciting conversations - interactive and open to all. 
Colorful snippets © Shutterstock

Snippets

Germany’s cultural landscape is vibrant and diverse, with exciting developments across the arts, film, music, and literature. From literary festivals and prices to groundbreaking exhibitions in galleries across the nation to the latest releases from acclaimed filmmakers and authors, there’s a wealth of creativity to explore. 


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