Philosophers are not typically associated with packed venues, but Lars Svendsen’s unique combination of philosophy and pop culture proved extremely popular with locals and expats alike at several events in Shanghai and Nanjing.
Kant on the Catwalk
Saturday morning March 5 at Changning District Library, a crowd of hundreds showed up to a reading of Svendsen’s book “Fashion – A Philosophy”. The event was organized by Dupin magazine in cooperation with the Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai. Professor Lu Yang from Fudan University was the guest of honor.
Part Sartre, part sartorialism, the two men exchanged ideas with the audience and each other over roughly two and a half hours of philosophical banter.
Conquering the Bund
Barely two hours later, Svendsen held yet another presentation, this time at the Shanghai Book Centre. Expanding his focus, Svendsen gave a brief introduction of his three books that are currently available in Chinese: “Fashion – A Philosophy”, “A Philosophy of Fear” and “A Philosophy of Boredom”. A total of 150 shoppers showed up at the event.
Another jam-packed event followed the next day at upmarket restaurant M on the Bund. Listening with rapt attention to Svendsen’s musings about boredom, the expat crowd was large enough that extra chairs needed to be brought in. The event was part of the International Literary Festival in Shanghai.
Taking farewell
Svendsen’s final event in Shanghai took place Monday 7th of March at Fudan University. He was introduced by Consul General Bjørn Blokhus, who in his speech praised the young philosopher for his untiring efforts in popularizing the subject.
March 8, Svendsen held a presentation at the University of Nanjing about fashion and boredom to a full auditorium, before leaving the next day to continue the rest of his China tour in Beijing. Representatives for Peking University Press report strong sales of Svendsen’s books during and after the events, and the books were completely sold out at several of the venues.