A Berlin childhood: 1892-1912 -- Metaphysics of youth: Berlin and Freiburg, 1912-1914 -- The concept of criticism: Berlin, Munich, and Bern, 1915-1919 -- Elective affinities: Berlin and Heidelberg, 1920-1922 -- Academic nomad: Frankfurt, Berlin, and Capri, 1923-1925 -- Weimar intellectual: Berlin and Moscow, 1925-1928 -- The destructive character: Berlin, Paris, and Ibiza, 1929-1932 -- Exile: Paris and Ibiza, 1933-1934 -- The Parisian arcades: Paris, San Remo, and Skovsbostrand, 1935-1937 -- Baudelaire and the streets of Paris: Paris, San Remo, and Skovsbostrand, 1938-1939 -- The angel of history: Paris, Nevers, Marseilles, and Port Bou, 1939-1940. Walter Benjamin was perhaps the twentieth century's most elusive intellectual. His writings defy categorization, and his improvised existence has proven irresistible to mythologizers. In a major new biography, Howard Eiland and Michael Jennings present a comprehensive portrait of the man and his times, as well as extensive commentary on his work
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