Walter Benjamin – A Critical Life

As is freely admitted by Eiland & Jennings, Walter Benjamin is not the easiest of reads. This biography, securely anchored in Benjamin's writings, shines a bright, illuminating light on some of WB's most difficult works. Situating the texts in his specific life circumstances and in relation to his many illustrious interlocutors, these 2 Benjamin scholars have written one of the finest intellectual biographies of the postmodern period.

This is a thick book that delves into the life and above all the writings of Walter Benjamin over more than 600 pages. The authors do an excellent job recreating the intellectual growth of this great thinker while including the details of a complex and ultimately deeply sad life. I'm not sure if I yet understand Benjamin as a person but I appreciate this illuminating, measured look into his life and tragic times.

One of the truely most fascinating figures of the 20th century. And influential Critical Thinker who had virtualy gone unnotice during his own life time. Not unliked so many of the great intellectual artisans throughout history whose affect has been much later discuss and felt. His contribution to notion of Modernity, Technological Advancement and Art is so precient that its applicability even some 80 years later is very much relevant in this most chaotic of times. This is a Tribute not to just an extraodinary person but to a complex individual who refuse to be limited by the constraints of the societal norms of his constellation. I must and will take a much greater indebt view of his works.

Very good and complete biography

J'ignore s'il existe une traduction française de cet œuvre remarquable. Sinon, il faudrait se hâter de le faire.La biographie de Benjamin d'Eiland a l'immense intérêt, au-delà d'un récit pondéré, distancié, et néanmoins chaleureux de la vie du philosophe, d'exposer avec clarté et un grand respect pour sa complexité, voire pour sa paradoxalité, sa pensée dans toute son envergure. C'est une lecture longue et exigeante mais qui vaut la peine que l'on se donne.J'ai abordé cette lecture suite à un "pèlerinage" sur les traces de Benjamin, qui nous a amenés à travers les Pyrénées de Banyuls à Port Bou, jusqu'au lieu où il se serait donné la mort en fuyant les Nazis. Nous l'avons accompagné alors avec nos corps par une torride journée d'été, nous l'avons accompagné avec notre esprit en lisant cette remarquable biographie.