The Critical Introduction to Salomo Friedlaender-Mynona: Twentieth-Century Performance Philosopher

Salomo Friedlaender/Mynona (1871-1946) was a prominent, eccentric and influential figure in late Imperial Germany, Expressionism, Dadaism, and the Weimar Republic. He wrote and published works of philosophy, novels, parodies and satirical so-called grotesque tales, which he wrote under the pseudonym ＂Mynona＂--the German word for anonymous, anonym, spelled backwards. Currently being rediscovered in his native language, F/M and his work are still generally unknown, and none of his philosophical texts have been translated.

The Critical Introduction to Salomo Friedlaender/Mynona: Twentieth-Century Performance Philosopher is the first comprehensive English book introducing F/M’s philosophical works. The volume includes three introductory framing chapters of historical context, contemporary relevance and pertinence to the performance philosophy of F/M. The book also contains original translations of select passages from his most significant philosophical texts: Schöpferische Indifferenz/Creative Indifference, (first published in 1918), the later Das magische Ich/The Magic I (1935) and his very last essay Ideenmagie/Idea Magic (1945/46), as well as translations of select correspondence with well-known cultural personalities of the time.

Recognised as having inspired Walter Benjamin, F/M was also a forerunner of both performance philosophy and gender theory, and a major influence in the development of Gestalt therapy. Furthermore, not only did F/M belong to the first generation of avid Nietzsche readers, but he was also a lifelong tireless interpreter of Immanuel Kant and Schopenhauer. F/M’s extraordinary voice is of significant interest to Nietzsche and Kant Studies and sheds light on their respective relevance for a performance-oriented approach to philosophy.

Alice Lagaay is professor of media theory and performative studies in the design department of HAW Hamburg at University of Applied Sciences Hamburg. She is a founding member and core convener of the international performance philosophy network. Besides her interest in Friedlaender/Mynona and the concept of creative indifference, her most recent work has focused on speculative design research and on non-standard formats for generating and communicating philosophical content.

Detlef Thiel is an independent philosopher who lives and works in Wiesbaden, Germany. He has held lectureships in philosophy at Trier University and Wiesbaden University of Applied Sciences. Editorial activities include Collected Works of Friedlaender/Mynona, Friedlaender/Mynona Studies, Friedlaender/Mynona and Paul Scheerbart in Japanese translation, unknown texts by Paul Scheerbart; books on Jacques Derrida, Plato, Friedlaender/Mynona.; numerous essays and reviews in philosophy.