Historian, Harvard University
Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. She is also a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include "These Truths: A History of the United States" (2018), an international bestseller, named one of Time magazine's top ten non-fiction books of the decade. A revised edition will be published in 2026. Her 2023 book, "The Deadline", won the PEN prize for the Art of the Essay. "We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution", a New York Times bestseller, was published in 2025. Her next book, "The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State", will be published in 2026.
Foto: © Andrea Camen
Thursday, 08. October 2026, 18:30 – 20:00 h
At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOH-B-10
The United States is celebrating 250 years of independence — and at the same time is grappling with its democratic future. Jill Lepore traces the history of America as the history of its Constitution and the political conflicts over its interpretation. With historical insight and narrative power, she shows why the Constitution remains at the center of the debate over the “true” America to this day.
Wednesday, 23. October 2019, 19:00 – 20:00 h
At Literaturhaus Zurich, Limmatquai 62, 8001 Zürich, Schauspielhaus Zürich, Pfauen, Rämistrasse 34
Moderation: Professor Elisabeth Bronfen
The award-winning historian Jill Lepore narrates the history of the USA from its beginnings to today’s superpower in her book ‘These Truths’. We talk to the author about her portrait of a nation and her plea for liberal America.