Walter Benjamin: Selected Writings, Volume 2: 1927-1934

Benjamin, Walter; Michael W. Jennings (General Editior); Marcus Bullock, Howard Eiland & Gary Smith (Editorial Board); Translated by Rodney Livingston & Others; Edited by Michael W. Jennings, Howard Eiland & Gary Smith

ISBN 10: 0674945867 / ISBN 13: 9780674945869

Published by Belknap Press, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (MA) and London (UK), 1999

About this Item

NEW: First Edition (Orig. 1999) First Printing: NEW mylar-protected jacket w/ sharp NEW edges & corners, NEW jet-black library-durable coated linen-over-boards cover w/ sharp NEW edges & corners, NEW blued-gray end-papers on light card-stock (Marred only by a discrete name penned in the inside-front upper-right corner), IMMACULATE unmarked smooth-cut text-block exterior MARRED only by moderate incidence of slight rust-spotting, NEW perfect binding w/ tight signatures & uncreased spine, PRISTINE interior handsomely printed on EXCELLENT unblemished archival paper * 6.50" x 9.50" x 2.06", 1.36 kg, x+870 (880) pp * ABOUT THE BOOK: In the frenzied final years of the Weimar Republic, amid economic collapse & mourning political catastrophe, Walter Benjamin emerged as the most original practicing literary critic & public intellectual in the German-speaking world. Volume 2 of "Selected Writings", covering the years 1927 to 1934, displays the full spectrum of Benjamin's achievements at this pivotal stage in his career. Previously concerned chiefly w/ literary theory, Benjamin during these Years does pioneering work in new areas, from the study of popular Culture (a discipline he virtually created) to theories of the media & the visual arts. His writings on the theory of modernity--most of them new to readers of English--develop ideas as important to an understanding of the 20th century as an contained in his widely anthologized essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Technological Reproducibility.This volume brings together previously untranslated writings on major figures such as Brecht, Valéry & Gide, & on subjects ranging from film, radio, & the novel to memory, kitsch, & the theory of language. We find the manifoldly inquisitive Benjamin musing on the new modes of perception opened tip by techniques of photographic enlargement & cinematic montage, on the life & work of & Goethe at Weimar, on the fascination of old toys & the mysteries of food, & on the allegorical significance of Mickey Mouse. * SHIPPING: MNEMOSYNE carefully wraps, labels & custom-packages this fine book for FREE domestic shipment via USPS MEDIA MAIL (or USPS PRIORITY MAIL for a below-cost additional fee) & via USPS FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL to all international destinations. Seller Inventory # 010485

Bibliographic Details

Title: Walter Benjamin: Selected Writings, Volume 2...

Publisher: Belknap Press, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (MA) and London (UK)

Publication Date: 1999

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: New

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

In the frenzied final years of the Weimar Republic, amid economic collapse and mounting political catastrophe, Walter Benjamin emerged as one of the most original practicing literary critics and public intellectuals in the German-speaking world. Volume 2 of his selected writings, covering the years 1927 to 1934, displays the full spectrum of Benjamin's achievements at this pivotal stage in his career. Previously concerned with literary theory, Benjamin during these years does pioneering work in new areas, from the study of popular culture (a discipline he virtually created) to theories of the media and the visual arts. His writings on the theory of modernity - most of them new to readers of English - develop ideas as important to an understanding of the 20th century as any contained in his essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Technological Reproducibility". This volume brings together writings on major figures such as Brecht, Valery, and Gide, and on subjects ranging from film, radio, and the novel to memory, kitsch, and the theory of language. Also included are several of Benjamin's most entertaining radio scripts for a popular audience, as well as some rare and revealing glimpses into a fragmentary autobiography, in the form of diary entries, travel sketches, recollections, and personal meditations.

About the Author:

Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) was the author of many works of literary and cultural analysis. Michael W. Jennings is Professor of German, Princeton University.