Géraldine Schwarz, a Franco-German historian, journalist, and filmmaker, presents her latest book exploring two thousand years of European history. With scholarly rigor and narrative flair, she traces the continent's development through three central pillars: Christianity, capitalism, and the struggle for freedom.

Rather than retreating into narrow national narratives, Schwarz weaves together the interconnected stories that shaped Europe—from the invention of democracy and the spread of Christianity to the rise of economic and colonial power, and the great movements toward liberation. She reveals how these seemingly separate strands form a coherent, vital whole, and examines both the unifying ideals and the conflicts that persist today.

In times of global uncertainty and shifting Western order, Schwarz reminds us that Europe is not an abstract construct but a living reality rooted in shared history. Her 2017 memoir Die Gedächtnislosen (The Forgetful Ones) won the European Book Prize and has been translated into more than ten languages.

Moderated by Katharina Teutsch. Co-presented by Literatur LIVE, Rowohlt Berlin Verlag, and Thalia Buchhandlung. The book launches September 18, 2026.

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