Review: ReflectionsRedaktioneller Bericht - Kirkus ReviewsMore fragments from the oeuvre of the brilliant Marxist philosopher-critic (Illuminations, the first collection to appear in this country, came out in 1968). Benjamin, who died tragically in Spain in 1940, was a German Jew with wideranging interests and a dense, sometimes impenetrable style. This volume gathers together personal recollections, notably ""A Berlin Chronicle"" and ""Moscow""; notes for an unfinished book entitled Paris, Capital of the Nineteenth Century; articles on his friend Bertolt Brecht, Karl Kraus, surrealism, etc.; and essays on politics and linguistics. Benjamin's autobiographical sketches, especially the piece on Moscow, display a warmly evocative sense of place and elaborate Proustian cadences, but his real claim to fame rests on the drier and more difficult theoretical works. In ""On Language as Such and On the Language of Man,"" for instance, he makes the striking assertion that all nature, animate and inanimate, partakes in language to some degree, since everything communicates its ""mental meaning."" Benjamin, as Peter Demetz notes in his long and illuminating introduction, attempts to ""read"" objects, cities, and institutions, ""as if they were sacred texts."" This book is rough sledding, but the cryptic richness of Benjamin's thought makes it worth the effort--many of his shorter essays could easily have been expanded into full-length books. Much of his work is untranslated or hard to find or both, but judging from what's currently available, Frank Kermode might not have been wildly exaggerating when he called Benjamin the greatest critic of the century. NutzerrezensionenReview: Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical WritingsNutzerbericht - Matt - GoodreadsI'm one of those people, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, who felt that Illuminations, the first book of Benjamin people traditionally read, was totally awesome, and not nearly as mindcrushingly ... Vollständige Rezension lesen Review: Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical WritingsNutzerbericht - Jeff - GoodreadsBenjamin was targeted by the Nazis. He was on the run to escape Europe. It appeared hope was lost and he would not find passage so he committed suicide. The next day, the passage worked out. Vollständige Rezension lesen Review: Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical WritingsNutzerbericht - CS Ward - GoodreadsBerlin Chronicle's got some great fit and starts of psychedelic memory dissection .My favorite part so far is when WB loses the diagram of his life. Two pages a day is about as many thoughts as I can hold; that's a good thing. Vollständige Rezension lesen Review: Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical WritingsNutzerbericht - Katrinka - GoodreadsThere are certain essays in here ("Critique of Violence," for example) that are solid fives. Demetz's introduction, with some modification/caveats, and whether for good or ill, pinpoints a large part ... Vollständige Rezension lesen Review: Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical WritingsNutzerbericht - Michael - GoodreadsThis collection of essays includes his reflections on smoking Hashish, the depths of love and aging and his more marxist analyses of art and literature. Benjamin is always provactive and these essays are elegant and insightful. Vollständige Rezension lesen Review: Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical WritingsNutzerbericht - Andrew - GoodreadsBeing considered the "other" collection of Benjamin essays after Illuminations, it shouldn't shock me that these weren't as stunning. That said, they are still fantastic. This volume includes many of ... Vollständige Rezension lesen Review: Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical WritingsNutzerbericht - Ellen - GoodreadsWhile self-exposure provides power, the promise of identity as well as the perverse pleasures of vertigo and exposure, it is also a means of re-collection. The past recaptured. Walter Benjamin ... Vollständige Rezension lesen Review: Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical WritingsNutzerbericht - John - GoodreadsI love cities. I love rambling, long walks. I love side streets and quaint, hidden coffee shops. So does Walter Benjamin. Therefore, I love Benjamin. Although he was in many ways a tragic individual ... Vollständige Rezension lesen | Bewertungen von Nutzern| 5 Sterne | | | 4 Sterne | | | 3 Sterne | | | 2 Sterne | | | 1 Stern | |
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