Walter Bendix Schonflies Benjamin was a German philosopher, cultural critic, media theorist and essayist, born in 1892 and died in 1940. An eclectic thinker who combined elements of German idealism, Jewish mysticism, Western Marxism and post-Kantianism, he shaped twentieth century thinking about the philosophy of history, metaphysics and aesthetics. Benjamin maintained close connections with the Frankfurt School and significant relationships with figures including the playwright Bertolt Brecht and the philosopher Hannah Arendt. His most influential works include the 1935 essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction and the 1940 Theses on the Philosophy of History, alongside critical essays on major literary figures. Fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe in 1940, Benjamin died at Portbou on the Franco-Spanish border at the age of 48; recognition largely eluded him during his lifetime, and global acclaim came only after his works were translated into English and introduced to English-speaking audiences by Arendt in 1968.
Facts
Defining MomentDied in flight from Nazi-occupied Europe at Portbou in 1940; though popular acclaim eluded him during his life, the decades following his death won his essays, including Theses on the Philosophy of History, posthumous renown as founding texts of twentieth-century critical theory. 1 Notable PublicationThe Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1935) 1 Death PlacePortbou, Catalonia, Spain 1 TraditionContinental philosophy; Western Marxism; Marxist hermeneutics 1 Connections
Influenced
Source Giorgio Agamben (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Germany, originated there.
Sources
1. Walter Benjamin (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroduction, opening parenthetical (birth year)
15 July 1892-26 September 1940
Introduction, opening parenthetical (birth date)
15 July 1892-26 September 1940
Introduction, opening parenthetical (death year)
15 July 1892-26 September 1940
Life > Death (exile and death)
Expecting repatriation to Nazi hands, Benjamin overdosed on morphine tablets that night while staying at the Hotel de Francia; the official Portbou register records 26 September as his date of death.
Introduction, paragraph on death
In 1940, at the age of 48, Benjamin died during his flight into exile at Portbou on the French-Spanish border while attempting to escape the advance of the Third Reich.
Introduction, paragraph 1
An eclectic thinker who combined elements of German idealism, Jewish mysticism, Western Marxism, and post-Kantianism, he made contributions to the philosophy of history, metaphysics, historical materialism, criticism, and aesthetics
Introduction, paragraph on major works
Among Benjamin's best known works are the essays "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (1935) and "Theses on the Philosophy of History" (1940).
Introduction, closing paragraph
Though popular acclaim eluded him during his life, the decades following his death won his work posthumous renown.
Life > Early life and education
Walter Benjamin and his younger siblings, Georg (1895-1942) and Dora (1901-1946), were born to a wealthy business family of assimilated Ashkenazi Jews in Berlin, then the capital of the German Empire.
View the Source Giorgio Agamben (Wikipedia)
WikipediaInfluenced: Giorgio Agamben, Biography section, Benjamin paragraphQuote, Influenced: Giorgio Agamben, Biography section, Benjamin paragraph
Agamben edited Benjamin's collected works in Italian translation until 1996, and called Benjamin's thought "the antidote that allowed me to survive Heidegger".
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