Table Of ContentUnderstaBnrdeicnhgt
WALTER BENJAMIN
TranslabtyAe ndn aB ostock
IntrodubcytS itoannM lietyc hell
v
VERSO
londo· nN ew York
Thiesd itiopnu blisbhyeV de rs1o9 98
©Verso1 998
Firpsutb lisahseV de rsucfihbeeB rr ec1h9t6 6
© SuhrkamVpe rla1g9 66
All righrtess erved
Them orarli ghotfst hea uthors/editors/htraavnebs eleanat sosresr ted
Verso
UK:6 MeardS tree(cid:76)Lo ndoWn1 V 3HR
USA:1 80V aricSktr eeN(cid:76)e w YorkNY 10014-4606
Versiost hei mprionfNt e w Left Books
ISBN1 -85984-814-1
BritiLisbhr aryCa taloguiinnPug b licatiDoanta
A catalorgeuceo rfdo rt hibso oki sa vailafrbolme t he BriLtiisbhr ary
Libraryo fC ongrCaetalsosg ing-in-PubDaltiaca tion
A catalroegc orfdo trh ibso oki sa vailafbrloemt heL ibraroyf C ongress
Printaendd b oundin GreaBtr itabiyn
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IntrodbuySc ttaeiynoM lni tchvenl l
WhaitEs p ic Th[eFaivtrersrets? i Io n
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WhaitEs p iTch ea[tSreec?vo enrdJs iI5o n
SrudfioaerT s h eoorfEy p iTch eat2r3e
Frotmh Ber ecChotm menta2r7y
A FamiDlrya miant hEep iTch eat3r3e
TheC ounwthreyir iteFs o bri dden to
MenttihoPenr olet3a7r i
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CommentoanPr oieembssy B rec4h3t
BrecThhtr'ese Npoevnen7ly5
The AutPhroord u8c5e r
as
ConverswaittBihro encsIh 0t5
BibliogNroatpehIsi2 c2a l
IndeIx2 3
Publisher's aclcnowkdgment; We are gratetof uSltefan S.B recht
andE yrMee thuLetnd f orth eikri npde rmisstioro enp rodtuhcee
poembsy B ertBorletc dhiscustsed int hibso ok.
Translatonro'tsIe h :a vcoens ulted theF rench editiEsosaisn ,s ur
Brecltrua,n slabtyeP da uLla veau( Fran�Masopeiros, Paris, 19<}7),
andthe tran.slatoifo' nW haitsE piThceatre? ', byH arrZyo hn, in
Illuminations (JonathCaapen and Harcourt BJraocvean ovich,
Londoann dN ewY ork19,7 0a)n,d o f' ThAeu thoas rP roducbeyr ',
JohnH eckman, inNew Left Reviewn,o .6 :( Londo1n9,7 0).
Unless otherwisael flio nodtniocatarete esdt akefrno m the
Gennaend ition.
Benjamhiandw haLtu kacsso enormously
lackeadu ,n iqeuyee p recisfeolsryi gnificant
detafioltr,h mea rgi.n.a.lf otrh iem pinging
and unaccustuonmschemaetdi,c particularity
whicdho es 'nfioittn a'n dt herefore
deserveasq uitsep eciaanld i ncisaitvtee ntion.
(ERNST BLOCH]
INTRODUCTION
LikeM ayakovsaknyd t heR ussiFaonr malists,
Brecahntd B enjamfionr omn eo ft hcel aslsiitce rpaarryt nerosfh ips
three volutiSoonciaarlymi osvte menTth.e irerl ationshhoiwpe,v er,
9()6
iso nlnyo wco mingt ol ighftoi,rwast notun t1i l thatth mea jority
ofB enjaminess'asy osn B recwhetr ep ublished.
Wal.ter Benjamwas ina nec cen tri'manc oflettebrosrno' f,a w ell
to-dGermano Jewisfha miilny1 892I.nthe courosfeh ilsi fetime,
heu nderwenat c omplexch angtrea,n spostihnesg tr uctuarneds
habiotsf h ise arlmiyesrt itcahlo ugthote nrichc attheeg oorfi es
Marxism.
Benjamiind'iso syncarnaddt iifficc ucalstto fm indb lockheids
wayt oa n acadcareeemircS. c holaasutitch orrietjieecsht idesod c toral
thesi(so nt heo rigionfGs e rmatrna gedfyo)ir n comprehensibility.
Butn oto nltyh aBten:j amiwni,t chh aractelraicoskft d iicp lomacy,
hadtak en isswuiet h Johannes oVnoeol fkt ehleot ffi,c iaaeslt heti
ciansG eorfm aanca demiBaa.r refrdo m secu.reem ploymheen t,
became ani tinerman anotf l etteexrpser,i encitnhgei ntellectual
proletariahneid zesactriiobne s in 'Tas hPer oAduutchHeoadrr ' h.e
viii
gainaue ndi veprossiiitttds yi ffictuosl athy o wh itsh oumgihgth t
havdee velWoiptehhdi .n dsmiagnhoytf h, i Msa rxiidsetaa rse
tracienadb ilffeef roerntmtots h dea ybse fhoirpser ofesfsaitoen al
decided.w hHaoitwcs ee vriettsrah,i ha nitp s r ecareicoounso mic
was
posisthiaornp heianste tdr atcoMt airoxniA stom n.pe o ihnect o n
templjaotientdih Cneog m munPiasrtt y.
Thep erwiaotsdh lea ttwee ntieeasrt lhayin rdAt siyLeaas d.as ,
Communtihseta tprriocdauwlch eorBm,e njahmaimdne i tn C apri
in19 2i4,n trohdiutmcoB e rde wchhothm e v isfirteeqdu deunrtilnyg
thteh irsttiaeywsii,nt hghi fmo lro npge ridoudrsit nhlgea tter's
DaniesxhiT lher.o ugthhodeue tc a1d9e3t0,o 1 93r9,e spotnodi ng
threi asnetd r iuomffp ahs cBiesnmj,aw mriotnth epe r esseknett ches
ansdt udLieesfsso. r ttuhnBaarnte e(c lhutwc akns o otn oefh i sst ars),
Benjatmoiohnkil si ifnfle i gfhrtot mhG ee stwahpioal,te t empting
toc rotshFser anco-bSopradinen1i9r s4 h0 .
Benjawmriint'iiessns gs ayaipshtoirfcir,sa tgimce,En vtehanir sy .
docttohreaislmsi o sra ep hilosmoepdhiitctaahtlaai sn oy ns tematic
exposaintddie omno nstArtfia rtisimttoi ng.sh eteo md tdh Barte cht
camteo gewtihtBeher n jaamnnidon wt i tsho memoonrepe o litically
commitGteeodrL,gu kafcosir,n staBnucBter .e cahntLd u kacs
nevsearew y teoe yWeh.e rLeuaksa was csh osttoit lheeex perimen
tala rtt hotefw entcieenttbhue rcyai uts el aas cekneosdfte o tality
anpde rspeBcrteiscvhheat,wr ietdBh e njasmcaivne ngmianggp,i e
a
temperarmeecnetpt,tot i hovefe t freang menntaetdou frme o dern
aratn ldi terBaetnujraem.ia nne xtravcaoglalnaetnca dtn otri
was
quaraip aans,s iroonaamtaeenr do bserovfce irt wiheosc ,o uld
extrcaucltt uralf rhowimas ytsooirddidaeesn s ed n ds.
Thdei aerxyt r'aCcovtne,r sawtiitBohrn esc whhti'cc,oh n cludes
thviosl usmeee,tm oss h oBwr eacsht thg ei vBeern,j atmhtiean k er;
whiwcahsn o d outbrtup es ycholoBgeincjaalomlliZydni. 'o sn ist
frieGnedr,s hSocmh olwermo't,Be r: ewcahtsth e hnaartdauenrrde
madaed eeipm paucptot nhm eo rsee nsBietnijvawemh ioen n tirely
lacaktehdl qeutailciI tniteesl.l'et chrteeu laaltliiyocs,ne srhtiapi nly
morceo mpalnetdxw o-sTihdeeardre.fe o,ir n stsatnrcioenn,dg i ca
tiotnhsta htie d eaansid m plicoaf't eiptoihnces a wterrceeo' m mon
tot hebmo tbhe ftohreemy e t.
Introdiucxt ion
Thidsi aerxytr a(cnte vienrt efndoperud b liciassto vi aolnu)a ble
becaiugtsi ev tehsie m medairamtoes pohfte hrteew om enc'osn
versattihoecanissrto, f m indm,a nnoefrs peefcohn,d nfeosrs
imagpea,r aablllee,ga oprhyo,ra iloslfmw ,h iwcehfi ndse parately
int hewirri tiWnhgesr.eB aesn jawmaistn h meo rmee taphorical
thinfkreorBm,r echhelt e a-rnwth ahti fso rmaesrs ocfiraotme s,
GershSocmh otloeTm .W .A dornaol,w adyesp locroends,i dered
disast'rcorutushd-ien k(ipnlgumD'p eens)k ,te hnna ete fdot rh ought
tos impiltisfyce rlyfs,t oaulitln itezose s enbteifaoilrtcseo ubled
madper actice.
Benjabmeilno ntgoaeg de neroaftt ihoinnw kheori,snt hyee ars
jupsrte cetdhiFeni grW sotr lWda rr,e bealglaeidtn hlseit n guistic
barreonfnG eesrsm aacna dedmiiscc oIundr isffee.wr aeyntsth ese
thinskoeurgsth ovt a liadnaddti es comveearn ibnyrg e vitalizing
thsee maanntmdie ct aphaotrtirciaoblflu atnegsui atgsMeea lrfx.i sm
benefiftreotdmh giesn eriantt ihwoern i toifnB gesn jaBmlionc,h ,
anAdd ornAot.t hsea mtei mlei,tw tilbleelg ainferdot mh eMsaer x
istsi,ft heayr aep proawcihtaeh 'd c ommonsmeantseer'i,a listic
gaugHee.ra esf, o pro etornyme,u sfto llGoowe thdei'cst um:
Werd eDni chwiltley re rstehen
Musins D ichLraruleerg seh en.
[Ift hpeo eytou 'd understand,
You mguois nttht eop oelta'nsd .]
WitBhe njaimwtia nts h peo eBtr,e cwhhtow, a asb lteot oughen
thmea tersiianleoiwfsts thc er itic.
TheM odeSrna ge
Twot hinegsss,e ntliianlkBleryde, ca hntdB enjaam siinm:i lar
histoirmiacgailna antadis oinm ihluamra niLsimkG.er amtshceiy
werdei stingfuriotsmhh oeeffi dc iCaolm munmiosvte moefnt th e
thirbtyia ed se ehpi stopreiscasli imnitswomh icahc,c ortdoi ng
RomaRionl lafnodr'msu' lPae,s siomfti hsIemn telOlpetcitm,i sm
oft hWei ltlh'e,py l ansteeedd loifhn ogpsae n,ud p ownh itchhe y
grounadd eida leucntdiecraslt oafpn adsiatnn gfd u tuArswe i.t h
