Uwe Steiner - Böcker

Zu Lebzeiten als Germanist gescheitert, nach seinem Tode als Ideengeber der Literatur und Philosophie geschätzt. Warum erscheint Benjamins Denken heute so aktuell? Immer wieder variierte er in Essays und Kritiken sein großes Thema: die Moderne in Kunst, Technik und Politik. Motiv für zahlreiche Kontroversen um die gültige Auslegung. Die Einführung entrümpelt das Werk von falschen Vereinnahmungen und zeigt einen Denker, der seiner Zeit voraus war.

Seven decades after his death, German Jewish writer, philosopher, and literary critic Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) continues to fascinate and influence. Here Uwe Steiner offers a comprehensive and sophisticated introduction to the oeuvre of this intriguing theorist. Acknowledged only by a small circle of intellectuals during his lifetime, Benjamin is now a major figure whose work is essential to an understanding of modernity. Steiner traces the development of Benjamin's thought chronologically through his writings on philosophy, literature, history, politics, the media, art, photography, cinema, technology, and theology. "Walter Benjamin" reveals the essential coherence of its subject's thinking while also analyzing the controversial or puzzling facets of Benjamin's work. That coherence, Steiner contends, can best be appreciated by placing Benjamin in his proper context as a member of the German philosophical tradition and a participant in contemporary intellectual debates. As Benjamin's writing attracts more and more readers in the English-speaking world, "Walter Benjamin" will be a valuable guide to this fascinating body of work.

Seven decades after his death, German Jewish writer, philosopher, and literary critic Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) continues to fascinate readers and influence academic writing, both stylistically and conceptually. Here Uwe Steiner offers a comprehensive and sophisticated introduction to the oeuvre of this perpetually relevant theorist. Acknowledged only by a small circle of intellectuals during his lifetime, Benjamin is now a major figure whose work is essential to an understanding of modernity. Steiner traces the development of Benjamin's thought chronologically through his writings on philosophy, literature, history, politics, the media, art, photography, cinema, technology, and theology. "Walter Benjamin" reveals the essential coherence of its subject's thinking while also analyzing the controversial or puzzling facets of Benjamin's work. That coherence, Steiner contends, can best be appreciated by placing Benjamin in his proper context as a member of the German philosophical tradition and a participant in contemporary intellectual debates.As Benjamin's writing attracts more and more readers in the English-speaking world, "Walter Benjamin" will be a valuable guide to this fascinating body of work.