The Emergency with George Packer | Bonus Episode

From Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz by Hannah Arendt Center

May 1, 2026 · 1h 7m · Episode 138

About this episode

Roger Berkowitz interviews George Packer about his novel 'The Emergency' and its themes related to contemporary societal issues.

In this bonus episode, Roger Berkowitz welcomes George Packer—National Book Award–winning author of The Unwinding, staff writer for The Atlantic and contributor to The New Yorker—to discuss his 2025 novel The Emergency and his upcoming appearance at The Arendt Forum (October 15–17, 2026), the Hannah Arendt Center's 20th anniversary fall gathering on Solidarity. Packer explains that the pandemic and January 6th, and the rapid collapse of shared “ground truth,” drove him from nonfiction toward a fable-like fiction set in an unnamed empire collapsing from distraction and loss of faith. They discuss the novel’s central father–daughter relationship, youth movements “Together” and “Dirt,” the “suicide spot,” and Packer’s view that both movements express despair and a revolt against humanity. Packer contrasts journalism’s labor with fiction’s imaginative construction, and ends by emphasizing a humbled ethic of care—“opening the door”—rather than policy prescriptions. Rate and review if you like this podcast! ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations…

People in this episode

Host: Roger Berkowitz

Guest: George Packer

Topics covered

fiction
journalism
father-daughter relationship
youth movements
ethics of care
pandemic
political discourse

Keywords

George Packer
The Emergency
Hannah Arendt
fiction
journalism
youth movements
ethics
pandemic
January 6th

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Hannah Arendt Center

Books & works: The Unwinding, The Emergency