Michael Köhlmeier & Heide Schmidt - Philosophy Under the Platanes

Heide Schmidt, born in 1948 in Kempten, Bavaria, studied law, social sciences, and economics. She was the Secretary General of the FPÖ, a member of parliament, and the third President of the National Council. After a break with the FPÖ, she became the founder of the Liberal Forum. Following several successful elections, she faced defeat in the National Council election in 1999. Since then, she has been active at the civil society level.

Michael Köhlmeier, born in 1949, studied German studies and political science in Marburg on the Lahn, and half-studied mathematics and philosophy in Gießen. He is married to the writer Monika Helfer. His son Lorenz is a painter, and his daughter Paula was a writer; she tragically died in an accident in 2003 at the age of 21. He was temporarily the host of Club 2 on ORF.

Selection from his works:
- Abendland (novel)
- Die Abenteuer des Joel Spazierer (novel)
- Zwei Herren am Strand (novel)
- Bruder und Schwester Lenobel (novel)
- Die Märchen (collection)
- Erwarten Sie nicht, dass ich mich dumm stelle (speeches)
- Matou (novel)
- Das Philosophenschiff (novel)
- Together with Konrad Paul Liessmann: Wer hat dir gesagt, dass du nackt bist, Adam? Mythological-Philosophical Temptations
- Together with Konrad Paul Liessmann: Der werfe den ersten Stein. Mythological-Philosophical Condemnations