Walter Benjamin

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Walter Benjamin, a pivotal yet elusive intellectual of the twentieth century, crafted writings that blend philosophy, literary criticism, Marxist analysis, and theology, resisting easy classification. His career evolved from the esoteric brilliance of his early works to becoming a key voice in Weimar culture, culminating in exile where he examined modern media and urban commodity capitalism in Paris. This journey unfolded during some of the most tumultuous periods in European history, including the First World War, the Weimar Republic, and the rise of fascism. A new biography by Howard Eiland and Michael Jennings offers a comprehensive portrait of Benjamin, drawing on previously unavailable information that enriches and corrects the narrative of his extraordinary life. The authors provide extensive commentaries on his major works, such as "The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility," essays on Baudelaire, and the influential study of the German Trauerspiel. This biography is poised to become the definitive reference on Benjamin, appealing to both scholars and newcomers eager to explore the complexities of his thought and the historical context in which he wrote.