Odo Marquard, professor emeritus of the Justus-Liebig-Universität of Giessen, is one of the world's most renowned contemporary philosophers, whose work lies in the confines between aesthetics, theology and history. Winner of numerous prestigious awards, he was elected President of the German Philosophy Society. Until now only his collections of essays have been translated into Italian: Apologia of Circumstance (Bologna 1991); Aesthetics and Anaesthetics (Bologna 1994) and Compensations: anthropology and aesthetics (Rome 2007).

Alberto Melloni teaches History of Christianity at the University of Modena-Reggio Emilia. He is Secretary of John XXIII foundation for Religious Sciences. Author of numerous essays, he recently edited: Voluntary Martyrs: the shared history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Bologna 2006) and a new edition of Auschwitz Protocols (Milan 2008). He also contributes articles to the Italian broadsheet “Corriere della Sera”.