Patrick Radden Keefe: “London Falling”

Patrick Radden Keefe is an award-winning investigative journalist for The New Yorker, a bestselling author, and a film producer. His latest book, London Falling (in German: Der Sohn des Oligarchen), brings him to Europe and a rare visit to Munich: 

After the sudden death of their nineteen-year-old son, a London family discovers he had been leading a secret second life. Posing as the heir to a Russian oligarch, he became entangled with London's shady underworld, a realm of dealers and traders, conmen and criminals, in a city that, for years, was dedicated solely to attracting money – regardless of its source. 

London Falling is both a moving family story and an indictment of the forces that have turned London, a signal transatlantic megacity, into a hub of money, power, and corruption. Radden Keefe previously gained worldwide acclaim for Say Nothing, a thrilling narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions, and Empire of Pain, which chronicles the rise of the Sackler family and exposes their pivotal role in the U.S. opioid crisis – a compelling case study on economic power and regulatory failure. Radden Keefe’s writing has gained a transatlantic following for the ways in which he chronicles systems of power – how they are built, maintained and, as is often the case, abused – and the human stories contained within them. 

In conversation with Joshua Yaffa, he discusses his work as a journalist and author, and its lessons for societies in both the U.S. and Europe as they face crises related to inequality, political violence, and democracy itself. Afterward, he will answer questions from the audience and sign copies of his books.

This event, held in cooperation of Amerikahaus with hanserblau and the Petra Kelly Stiftung, is part of the event series Amerikahaus Book Talks, as well as the series "Writing Democracy," a joint program of Bard College Berlin and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

About the Author  
Patrick Radden Keefe is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author of Empire of Pain, Say Nothing, and Rogues. A staff writer at The New Yorker, he has received numerous honors, including the National Magazine Award and the Orwell Prize. His work has earned widespread critical acclaim and has been adapted for screen, including the Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated series Say Nothing. He is also the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Wind of Change. Patrick Radden Keefe lives in New York.

About the Moderator  
Joshua Yaffa is the inaugural Writer in Residence at Bard College Berlin. He is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and the author of Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia, which won the Orwell Prize in 2021.