{"product_id":"9781861893437","title":"Walter Benjamin","description":"\u003cp\u003eDrawing upon a wealth of journal writings and personal correspondence, Esther Leslie presents a uniquely intimate portrait of one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century, Walter Benjamin. She sets his life in the context of his middle-class upbringing; explores the social, political, and economic upheaval in Germany during and after World War I; and recounts Benjamin’s eccentric love of toys, trick-books, travel, and ships. From the Frankfurt School and his influential friendships with Theodore Adorno, Gershom Scholem, and Bertolt Brecht, to his travels across Europe, \u003ci\u003eWalter Benjamin\u003c\/i\u003e traces out the roots of Benjamin’s groundbreaking writings and their far-reaching impact in his own time. Leslie argues that Benjamin’s life challenges the stereotypical narrative of the tragic and lonely intellectual figure—instead positioning him as a man who relished the fierce combat of competing theories and ideas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClosing with his death at the Spanish-French border in a desperate flight from the Nazis and Stalin, \u003ci\u003eWalter Benjamin\u003c\/i\u003e is a concise and concentrated account of a capacious intellect trapped by hostile circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Reaktion Books, Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47039473844464,"sku":"9781861893437","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781861893437_p0.jpg?v=1763601147","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781861893437","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}