Walter Benjamin : An Intellectual Biography

Witte, Bernd; Rolleston, James (TRN)

ISBN 10: 081432018X / ISBN 13: 9780814320181

Published by Wayne State University Press, 1997

About this Item

Unread book in perfect condition.

Seller Inventory # 218359

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Walter Benjamin : An Intellectual Biography
• Publisher: Wayne State University Press
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 081432018X
• ISBN 13: 9780814320181
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) was the quintessential European intellectual between the two world wars. Historian, philosopher, literary critic, student of language and culture, and journalist, the independent scholar was forever trying to define himself and his time as products of a tradition in crisis.

In a very real sense, Benjamin's life and work were one―a chronicle of the modern European intellectual and mirror of an era. Bernd Witte's interpretive biography introduces Benjamin through critical thought and through topics and authors that ignited Benjamin's work. For the first time, English readers have the opportunity to survey the facts surrounding Benjamin's life and assess the interpretations of his texts. Witte's quest for Benjamin's own perspective yields a full chronology and sympathetic mastery of Benjamin's ideas.

The German edition, titled Walter Benjamin: Einfiihrung in Leben und Werk, was published in 1985.

About the Author

Bernard Witte is a professor in the Department of German Languages and Literature at Heinrich Heine University in Germany. He is the author of various books on modern German literature and literary theory, and is the editor of the collected works of Christian Fürchtegott Gellert.

Translator James Rolleston is a professor of German and literature and chair of the Department of German Languages and Litearture at Duke University.