Janne Teller

Former UN economist, now novelist and essayist; author of Come, Nothing and Odin's Island

Janne Teller is a celebrated novelist and essayist, having previously worked as a macroeconomist for the United Nations and the European Union. Despite being initially banned, her novel Nothing has won numerous awards in various languages. Teller’s work is often aimed at young adults, and belongs to the existentialist tradition. As well as dealing with contemporary philosophical issues, her work covers political themes from the challenges of refugees to the dangers of mass surveillance.

Janne Teller is a celebrated novelist and essayist, having previously worked as a macroeconomist for the United Nations and the European Union. Despite being initially banned, her novel Nothing has won numerous awards in various languages. Teller’s work is often aimed at young adults, and belongs to the existentialist tradition. As well as dealing with contemporary philosophical issues, her work covers political themes from the challenges of refugees to the dangers of mass surveillance.

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Hilary Lawson, Janne Teller, Steve Fuller, Naomi Goulder

Authenticity, Reality and Being

What is it to be real?

Janne Teller, Robert Colls, Jon Barnes, Shahidha Bari

The Darkest Dictator: Orwell vs Huxley

Should we fear complacency as much as oppression?

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Janne Teller, Nigel Inkster, Stephanie Hare, Ella Whelan

The Dark and the Digital

Cyberbullying, Trolling & Free Speech

Patricia MacCormack, Anders Sandberg, Janne Teller, Rowan Pelling

Overcoming death

Does fearing death prevent us from fully living?

Hilary Benn, Janne Teller, Roger Bolton, Bronwen Maddox, Thomas Dichter

The End of Aid

What kind of aid works?

Janne Teller, Simon Glendinning, Ted Honderich, Thomas Pogge

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Morality in a globalised world

Julian Baggini, Janne Teller, Susan Neiman, Helen Lederer

Work and play

Are we searching for joy in the wrong places?

Myriam François, Georgina Adam, Janne Teller, Paddy Johnson

Money, fame and value

Are today's artists monuments to status?

Sean Curran, Minna Salami, Meg Rosoff, Janne Teller, Stanley Fish

Popularity and prejudice

How do we measure artistic greatness?

Joanna Kavenna, Janne Teller, Paul Muldoon, Isy Suttie

Infinity in the palm of your hand

Can art uncover the essence of the world?

Philip Collins, Guy Standing, Janne Teller, Kristian Niemietz

The Wealth Paradox

How do we create a prosperous society?

Myriam François, Barry C. Smith, Janne Teller, Silvia Jonas

The one true story

Is philosophy the disinterested pursuit of truth?

Janne Teller, Andrew Adonis, Finn McRedmond, John Kay

Is it moral to trade with the devil?

Trading with the enemy

Janne Teller, Sophie Fiennes, David Hare, Barry C. Smith

After happily ever after

Do our lives tell a story?

Stefan Priebe, Eliane Glaser, Janne Teller, Sophie Ward

Being ourselves and being with others

Has independence undermined community?

Joanna Kavenna, Janne Teller, Bence Nanay, Hannah Sullivan

The obscure, the banal, and the magical

Has poetry lost its vision?

Malcolm Rifkind, Janne Teller, Sasha Polakow-Suransky, Laurie Bristow, David Omand

Diplomacy, deception, and disaster

Can diplomacy end the Ukraine war?

Rory Sutherland, Janne Teller

Brains, beauty, and bad judgment

Is discrimination ever acceptable?

Janne Teller

When myth becomes reality

The power of misinformation

Niki Seth-Smith, Janne Teller, Oliver Ready, Kathleen Higgins

Dostoevsky vs Nietzsche

The fundamental threat to humanity