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Illuminations

By: Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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Publisher's summary

Walter Benjamin was an icon of criticism, renowned for his insight on art, literature, and philosophy. This volume includes his views on Kafka, with whom he felt a close personal affinity; his studies on Baudelaire and Proust; and his essays on Leskov and Brecht’s epic theater. Illuminations also includes his penetrating study “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, an enlightening discussion of translation as a literary mode, and his theses on the philosophy of history.

Hannah Arendt selected the essays for this volume and introduces them with a classic essay about Benjamin’s life in a dark historical era. Leon Wieseltier’s preface explores Benjamin’s continued relevance for our times.

©1955 Originally published in Germany by Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt a.M. © 1955 by Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt a.M. English translation © 1968 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Introduction © 1968 by Hannah Arendt (P)2021 by Blackstone Publishing
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What listeners say about Illuminations

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Narrator’s voice is low and often unvaried in pitch, making it very hard to hear in a car

But the essays are wonderful. Grateful to finally have these in audio. Pls keep the theory and philosophy coming!

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Excellent all around

Absolutely wonderful. Transcendent. Will be reading more Walter Benjamin at my first opportunity. Narration was very good as well.

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finally

finally some Walter Benjamin, there hasn't been a scrap of his work on here and I for one I'm grateful to finally be able to listen to some it was incredible

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4 people found this helpful