Centering around the theme of female genius, Hannah Arendt focuses on three main aspects of the philosopher's work. Exploring her early biographical writings on Saint Augustine and Rahel Varnhagen, Kristeva emphasizes Arendt's belief in the importance of recounting lives and the necessity of narration. Next, the book reflects on her viewpoints on Judaism, anti-Semitism, and the "banality of evil". The biography's final section brings together Arendt's intellectual itinerary, considering her enthusiasm for observing both social phenomena and political events through the lens of her personal life.

Drawing on fragments of her most intimate correspondence with her longtime love Martin Heidegger and her husband Herman Blucher, excerpts from her mother's "Unser Kind" (a diary tracking Hannah's formative years), and passages from Arendt's philosophical writings, Kristeva weaves a luminous story. Including a thorough thematic index as well as precise bibliographical references, Hannah Arendt is a major breakthrough in the understanding of an essential thinker.