Draft:DIAPHANES (publisher)

Founded in 2000 by Michael Heitz, Diaphanes initially focused on translating into German and reissuing works in philosophy and media theory, featuring authors such as Giorgio Agamben, Jean-Luc Nancy, Catherine Malabou, Anne Dufourmentelle, David Graeber, Alain Badiou, Joseph Vogl, Claus Pias, and Sylvia Sasse. Further program areas emerged in the context of contemporary art and art theory as well as image theory (Hito Steyerl, Thierry de Duve, Georges Didi-Huberman, Isabelle Graw), and in the field of aesthetics and epistemology (Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, Dieter Mersch, Karin Krauthausen, or Ines and Eyal Weizman).

Since 2011, Diaphanes has also published in English, followed by French from 2012 onwards. With the opening of a new venue combining an editorial archive and cultural space in Venice-Murano, and the appointment in 2023 of German playwright Marie Glassl as head of the literary programme, Italian-language titles have gradually been integrated into the catalogue.^[5][6][7]

Diaphanes manages the estate of philosopher Reiner Schürmann, including original works, translations, and his lecture notes.^[8]

Since 2008, it has also developed a literary programme, combining contemporary translations and re-editions (Tom McCarthy, Angelika Meier, Lisa Robertson) with works by twentieth-century writers and artists (Georges Perec, J. G. Ballard, Anna Kavan, Joseph Mitchell, Antonin Artaud, Wyndham Lewis, Chantal Akerman, Pierre Guyotat, and James Agee).

Since 2023, it is run independently in Berlin^[9] and has opened towards poetry (e.g. in the multilingual book series aktion_fiktion^[10]) and Italian language publications and translations, such as the works of Swiss-Italian author Alice Ceresa.^[11] In 2025 it has received the German Publisher Award.

Since 2012, it has hosted events and exhibitions in Berlin, Zurich, and Paris, such as Pluralizing the Singular, Authentizität und Feedback, Einhunderttausend Wörter suchen einen Autor, and On Wasted Grounds.^{[12][13][14][15]}

In 2017, publisher Michael Heitz launched a print and online magazine of the same name.^[16][17] The magazine was initially published quarterly, then irregularly since 2020, until a relaunch in 2026.^[18]