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"The Traveler Georg Forster and the Discovery of Humanity"

Name: "The Traveler Georg Forster and the Discovery of Humanity"
Start: 2026-10-05T19:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-05T23:59:00+02:00
Location: Alter Wall 20, 20457 Hamburg, Germany

Alter Wall 20, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg, Germany
Mon, October 5, 2026 (7:30 pm - 11:59 pm)

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Description

Reading by naturalist, explorer, revolutionary: Andrea Wulf tells in her new book the life of Georg Forster, who at the age of seventeen participated in James Cook's second circumnavigation of the world (1772-1775) – exactly at a time when the world began to change so radically as it hadn't in centuries. When he returned, no stone was left unturned: North America rebelled and declared independence from Britain, and the French Revolution was at the gates! The journey took him between the icy Antarctica and the island worlds of the South Pacific. Forster explored plants, animals, people, and cultures, and returned with a belief in equality and radical ideas about humanity and freedom that were far ahead of his time. After his return, Forster was celebrated in England, France, Germany, and Poland. He used his fame to advocate for freedom and equality and to argue against imperialism, racism, and slavery. Later, he was caught in the whirl of the French Revolution and became a leader of the short-lived Mainz Republic. "The Traveler" is based on Forster's extensive correspondence and depicts the portrait of a brilliant, fearless young man whose life took him from the remote regions of the known world to the upheavals of European politics. Andrea Wulf, born in India and raised in Germany, lives in London. She is the author of internationally successful non-fiction books, including "Alexander von Humboldt and the Invention of Nature" and "Fabulous Rebels." She writes for the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the Financial Times and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Highlights

Reading by Andrea Wulf about Georg Forster
Discovery of humanity in the context of revolutions
Insight into Forster's travels and ideas

General Information

The reading highlights the life of naturalist and explorer Georg Forster, who participated in James Cook's second circumnavigation. Andrea Wulf tells of Forster's influence on ideas of freedom and equality during a time of political change.