On Walter Benjamin, Modernity, Fable, and the Seeds of Language

Author: (French) Derrida
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Who is Benjamin? After hearing the news of Benjamin's suicide, his close friend Brecht said, "This is a real loss to German literature caused by Hitler!" Among scholars of the 20th century, none have been as widely read in the West and suited for a wide range of different intellectual and political tendencies as Benjamin (and Foucault). As a Jew, Benjamin could not escape the fate of World War II. As an outstanding thinker, he left behind a vast legacy for later generations in fields such as philosophy and literature. His turbulent and wandering life at the turn of the century served as a warning to those at the end of the century: how to find a balance between ideals and reality. Benjamin's entire life was dedicated to the persistent interpretation of a tradition, and the interpretation of tradition can be said to run through all his works.