Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical Writings
Product ID: 3817460
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A companion volume to Illuminations , the first collection of Walter Benjamin's writings, Reflections presents a further sampling of his wide-ranging work. Here Benjamin evolves a theory of language as the medium of all creation, discusses theater and surrealism, reminisces about Berlin in the 1920s, recalls conversations with Bertolt Brecht, and provides travelogues of various cities, including Moscow under Stalin. He moves seamlessly from literary criticism to autobiography to philosophical-theological speculations, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest and most versatile writers of the twentieth century. Also included is a new preface by Leon Wieseltier that explores Benjamin's continued relevance for our times. Review: love this collection of short subjects - Meet my friend Walter A bit in the manner of Conrad, Benjamin invites the reader to join him for a chat, and then proceeds to spin a complicit web of observations and images difficult to put down. Ideal companion for a voyage or a quiet afternoon, short sketches grow and grow, perceptive European cityscapes from the 30's (Naples, Marseille, Moskow) amuse and inform, while thoughtful reflextions return to the reader many days later. Bon voyage Review: if this is the kind of thing you like, this is the thing you will like - Lincoln said it first: if this is the kind of thing you like, this is the thing you will like. I'm a writer who admires the great critical essayists/philosspher theorists. Benjamin is universally acknowledged to be among the very best.
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,797,733 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #241 in Literary Criticism & Theory #329 in Essays (Books) #32,341 in Memoirs (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 64 Reviews |
A**S
love this collection of short subjects
Meet my friend Walter A bit in the manner of Conrad, Benjamin invites the reader to join him for a chat, and then proceeds to spin a complicit web of observations and images difficult to put down. Ideal companion for a voyage or a quiet afternoon, short sketches grow and grow, perceptive European cityscapes from the 30's (Naples, Marseille, Moskow) amuse and inform, while thoughtful reflextions return to the reader many days later. Bon voyage
A**S
if this is the kind of thing you like, this is the thing you will like
Lincoln said it first: if this is the kind of thing you like, this is the thing you will like. I'm a writer who admires the great critical essayists/philosspher theorists. Benjamin is universally acknowledged to be among the very best.
V**.
This was is a beautiful introduction to critical theory
This was is a beautiful introduction to critical theory, by a writer who's worldview was shaped by the horrors of the Holocaust. Never stops being relevant.
T**R
A great intellect, but you have to hang in there
Very dense writing. A great intellect, but you have to hang in there. It's easier when Benjamin is writing about cities, or personal experiences.
S**R
Five Stars
Kraus and Critique of Violence are essential.
R**R
Criticism at its best
Benjamin is an extremely powerful writer. I bought this book specifically for Zur Kritik Der Gewalt, but I've enjoyed other essays.
D**C
bad quality
the book start to torn apart when i first open it. i could not even read it
S**N
Still holds up, 30 years later!!!
This is a great book. Walter Benjamin represents the kind of old-school, very educated European intellectual whose wide-ranging knowledge still impresses even today! He is a good writer and an even better critic. Sure, he's a Marxist, but don't hold that against him!!! Hahaha I revisited this book years after reading it initially, and it's still relevant and surprising.
À**N
Wonderful. What can be said
Wonderful. What can be said, it's Walter Benjamin! It begins with Proust like remembrances of Benjamin's Berlin youth and progresses to his theoretical - though that term hardly suits Benjamin’s eclectic style - essays on violence, Karl Kraus, Brecht and so on. Great compliment to Illuminations, which contains the seminal texts of Benjamin; his Theses on History and his work on Baudelaire. For some equally illuminating secondary literature, see Susan Buch-Morrs work, especially her book on Benjamin's Arcades Project.
M**.
Reflections
E sempre bello leggere questo libro e il pensiero di Benjamin. È una buona pubblicazione tra l'altro, assieme alla prefazione.
A**E
was as described
a bit used as seller described, but not much. I really needed this for an exam and it arrived quickly and it was cheap :)
F**E
Written by a man who killed himself rather than be murdered by Nazis
The book organisation is rather poor and needs a better guide. The introduction is a load of academic guff that does not help any understanding of the text. The subsections are not easily identifiable. A brilliant writer/philosophers writing thrown into a mess by slack editing.
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