Navid Kermani was born the fourth son of Iranian parents in Siegen, West Germany. He began his writing career at age 15 as a local reporter for the Westfälische Rundschau. As a student he published in German national newspapers; from 1996 to 2000 he was a regular contributor to the feuilleton section of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He studied philosophy, Oriental studies and drama in Cologne, Cairo and Bonn. His doctoral thesis has been published in English translation as God Is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Quran. He regularly publishes articles, literary reviews and travelogues, especially in Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Der Spiegel. In the preface of his book Between Quran and Kafka: West-Eastern Affinities he acknowledges that he is an Orientalist and his world view has been shaped by his childhood interactions living in a German society.
In English translation
The Terror of God, trans. Wieland Hoban, Cambridge 2011: Polity.
God Is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Quran, trans. Tony Crawford, Cambridge 2014: Polity.
Between Quran and Kafka: West-Eastern Inquiries, trans. Tony Crawford, Cambridge 2016: Polity.
Upheaval: The Refugee Trek through Europe, trans. Tony Crawford, Cambridge 2017: Polity.
Wonder Beyond Belief: On Christianity, trans. Tony Crawford, Cambridge 2017: Polity.
State of Emergency: Travels in a Troubled World, trans. Tony Crawford, Cambridge 2018: Polity.
Along the Trenches, trans. Tony Crawford, Cambridge 2019: Polity.
Love Writ Large, trans. Alexander Booth, London 2019: Seagull.
In 2009, the German state of Hesse decided to award its 45,000 euro Hessian Cultural Prize in July 2009 jointly to a Jew, a Muslim, a Catholic and a Lutheran to honour those involved in interfaith dialogue. There was controversy over Kermani's nomination as one of the three winners because of an essay in which Kermani had written about his feelings on seeing a painting of the crucifixion by the seventeenth-century Italian painter Guido Reni. The issue was ultimately resolved, and Cardinal Karl Lehmann,, Kermani, and Salomon Korn jointly received the prize on 26 November 2009. Kermani donated his share of the award to a Christian priest.
Personal life
Kermani holds German and Iranian citizenship. He is married to the Islam scholar Katajun Amirpur and has two children. He lives in Cologne.
