UnderstaBnrdeicnhgt WALTER BENJAMIN TranslabtyAe ndn aB ostock IntrodubcytS itoannM lietyc hell v VERSO londo· nN ew York Thiesd itiopnu blisbhyeV de rs1o9 98 ©Verso1 998 Firpsutb lisahseV de rsucfihbeeB rr ec1h9t6 6 © SuhrkamVpe rla1g9 66 All righrtess erved Them orarli ghotfst hea uthors/editors/htraavnebs eleanat sosresr ted Verso UK:6 MeardS tree(cid:76)Lo ndoWn1 V 3HR USA:1 80V aricSktr eeN(cid:76)e w YorkNY 10014-4606 Versiost hei mprionfNt e w Left Books ISBN1 -85984-814-1 BritiLisbhr aryCa taloguiinnPug b licatiDoanta A catalorgeuceo rfdo rt hibso oki sa vailafrbolme t he BriLtiisbhr ary Libraryo fC ongrCaetalsosg ing-in-PubDaltiaca tion A catalroegc orfdo trh ibso oki sa vailafbrloemt heL ibraroyf C ongress Printaendd b oundin GreaBtr itabiyn BiddiLetsd G,u ildfaonrddK ing's Lynn IntrodbuySc ttaeiynoM lni tchvenl l WhaitEs p ic Th[eFaivtrersrets? i Io n ] WhaitEs p iTch ea[tSreec?vo enrdJs iI5o n SrudfioaerT s h eoorfEy p iTch eat2r3e Frotmh Ber ecChotm menta2r7y A FamiDlrya miant hEep iTch eat3r3e TheC ounwthreyir iteFs o bri dden to MenttihoPenr olet3a7r i at CommentoanPr oieembssy B rec4h3t BrecThhtr'ese Npoevnen7ly5 The AutPhroord u8c5e r as ConverswaittBihro encsIh 0t5 BibliogNroatpehIsi2 c2a l IndeIx2 3 Publisher's aclcnowkdgment; We are gratetof uSltefan S.B recht andE yrMee thuLetnd f orth eikri npde rmisstioro enp rodtuhcee poembsy B ertBorletc dhiscustsed int hibso ok. Translatonro'tsIe h :a vcoens ulted theF rench editiEsosaisn ,s ur Brecltrua,n slabtyeP da uLla veau( Fran�Masopeiros, Paris, 19<}7), andthe tran.slatoifo' nW haitsE piThceatre? ', byH arrZyo hn, in Illuminations (JonathCaapen and Harcourt BJraocvean ovich, Londoann dN ewY ork19,7 0a)n,d o f' ThAeu thoas rP roducbeyr ', JohnH eckman, inNew Left Reviewn,o .6 :( Londo1n9,7 0). Unless otherwisael flio nodtniocatarete esdt akefrno m the Gennaend ition. Benjamhiandw haLtu kacsso enormously lackeadu ,n iqeuyee p recisfeolsryi gnificant detafioltr,h mea rgi.n.a.lf otrh iem pinging and unaccustuonmschemaetdi,c particularity whicdho es 'nfioittn a'n dt herefore deserveasq uitsep eciaanld i ncisaitvtee ntion. (ERNST BLOCH] INTRODUCTION LikeM ayakovsaknyd t heR ussiFaonr malists, Brecahntd B enjamfionr omn eo ft hcel aslsiitce rpaarryt nerosfh ips three volutiSoonciaarlymi osvte menTth.e irerl ationshhoiwpe,v er, 9()6 iso nlnyo wco mingt ol ighftoi,rwast notun t1i l thatth mea jority ofB enjaminess'asy osn B recwhetr ep ublished. Wal.ter Benjamwas ina nec cen tri'manc oflettebrosrno' f,a w ell­ to-dGermano Jewisfha miilny1 892I.nthe courosfeh ilsi fetime, heu nderwenat c omplexch angtrea,n spostihnesg tr uctuarneds habiotsf h ise arlmiyesrt itcahlo ugthote nrichc attheeg oorfi es Marxism. Benjamiind'iso syncarnaddt iifficc ucalstto fm indb lockheids wayt oa n acadcareeemircS. c holaasutitch orrietjieecsht idesod c toral thesi(so nt heo rigionfGs e rmatrna gedfyo)ir n comprehensibility. Butn oto nltyh aBten:j amiwni,t chh aractelraicoskft d iicp lomacy, hadtak en isswuiet h Johannes oVnoeol fkt ehleot ffi,c iaaeslt heti­ ciansG eorfm aanca demiBaa.r refrdo m secu.reem ploymheen t, became ani tinerman anotf l etteexrpser,i encitnhgei ntellectual proletariahneid zesactriiobne s in 'Tas hPer oAduutchHeoadrr ' h.e viii gainaue ndi veprossiiitttds yi ffictuosl athy o wh itsh oumgihgth t havdee velWoiptehhdi .n dsmiagnhoytf h, i Msa rxiidsetaa rse tracienadb ilffeef roerntmtots h dea ybse fhoirpser ofesfsaitoen al decided.w hHaoitwcs ee vriettsrah,i ha nitp s r ecareicoounso mic was posisthiaornp heianste tdr atcoMt airoxniA stom n.pe o ihnect o n­ templjaotientdih Cneog m munPiasrtt y. Thep erwiaotsdh lea ttwee ntieeasrt lhayin rdAt siyLeaas d.as , Communtihseta tprriocdauwlch eorBm,e njahmaimdne i tn C apri in19 2i4,n trohdiutmcoB e rde wchhothm e v isfirteeqdu deunrtilnyg thteh irsttiaeywsii,nt hghi fmo lro npge ridoudrsit nhlgea tter's DaniesxhiT lher.o ugthhodeue tc a1d9e3t0,o 1 93r9,e spotnodi ng threi asnetd r iuomffp ahs cBiesnmj,aw mriotnth epe r esseknett ches ansdt udLieesfsso. r ttuhnBaarnte e(c lhutwc akns o otn oefh i sst ars), Benjatmoiohnkil si ifnfle i gfhrtot mhG ee stwahpioal,te t empting toc rotshFser anco-bSopradinen1i9r s4 h0 . Benjawmriint'iiessns gs ayaipshtoirfcir,sa tgimce,En vtehanir sy . docttohreaislmsi o sra ep hilosmoepdhiitctaahtlaai sn oy ns tematic exposaintddie omno nstArtfia rtisimttoi ng.sh eteo md tdh Barte cht camteo gewtihtBeher n jaamnnidon wt i tsho memoonrepe o litically commitGteeodrL,gu kafcosir,n staBnucBter .e cahntLd u kacs nevsearew y teoe yWeh.e rLeuaksa was csh osttoit lheeex perimen­ tala rtt hotefw entcieenttbhue rcyai uts el aas cekneosdfte o tality anpde rspeBcrteiscvhheat,wr ietdBh e njasmcaivne ngmianggp,i e a temperarmeecnetpt,tot i hovefe t freang menntaetdou frme o dern aratn ldi terBaetnujraem.ia nne xtravcaoglalnaetnca dtn otri ­ was quaraip aans,s iroonaamtaeenr do bserovfce irt wiheosc ,o uld extrcaucltt uralf rhowimas ytsooirddidaeesn s ed n ds. Thdei aerxyt r'aCcovtne,r sawtiitBohrn esc whhti'cc,oh n cludes thviosl usmeee,tm oss h oBwr eacsht thg ei vBeern,j atmhtiean k er; whiwcahsn o d outbrtup es ycholoBgeincjaalomlliZydni. 'o sn ist frieGnedr,s hSocmh olwermo't,Be r: ewcahtsth e hnaartdauenrrde madaed eeipm paucptot nhm eo rsee nsBietnijvawemh ioen n tirely lacaktehdl qeutailciI tniteesl.l'et chrteeu laaltliiyocs,ne srhtiapi nly morceo mpalnetdxw o-sTihdeeardre.fe o,ir n stsatnrcioenn,dg i ca­ tiotnhsta htie d eaansid m plicoaf't eiptoihnces a wterrceeo' m mon tot hebmo tbhe ftohreemy e t. Introdiucxt ion Thidsi aerxytr a(cnte vienrt efndoperud b liciassto vi aolnu)a ble becaiugtsi ev tehsie m medairamtoes pohfte hrteew om enc'osn ­ versattihoecanissrto, f m indm,a nnoefrs peefcohn,d nfeosrs imagpea,r aablllee,ga oprhyo,ra iloslfmw ,h iwcehfi ndse parately int hewirri tiWnhgesr.eB aesn jawmaistn h meo rmee taphorical thinfkreorBm,r echhelt e a-rnwth ahti fso rmaesrs ocfiraotme s, GershSocmh otloeTm .W .A dornaol,w adyesp locroends,i dered disast'rcorutushd-ien k(ipnlgumD'p eens)k ,te hnna ete fdot rh ought tos impiltisfyce rlyfs,t oaulitln itezose s enbteifaoilrtcseo ubled madper actice. Benjabmeilno ntgoaeg de neroaftt ihoinnw kheori,snt hyee ars jupsrte cetdhiFeni grW sotr lWda rr,e bealglaeidtn hlseit n guistic barreonfnG eesrsm aacna dedmiiscc oIundr isffee.wr aeyntsth ese thinskoeurgsth ovt a liadnaddti es comveearn ibnyrg e vitalizing thsee maanntmdie ct aphaotrtirciaoblflu atnegsui atgsMeea lrfx.i sm benefiftreotdmh giesn eriantt ihwoern i toifnB gesn jaBmlionc,h , anAdd ornAot.t hsea mtei mlei,tw tilbleelg ainferdot mh eMsaer x­ istsi,ft heayr aep proawcihtaeh 'd c ommonsmeantseer'i,a listic gaugHee.ra esf, o pro etornyme,u sfto llGoowe thdei'cst um: Werd eDni chwiltley re rstehen Musins D ichLraruleerg seh en. [Ift hpeo eytou 'd understand, You mguois nttht eop oelta'nsd .] WitBhe njaimwtia nts h peo eBtr,e cwhhtow, a asb lteot oughen thmea tersiianleoiwfsts thc er itic. TheM odeSrna ge Twot hinegsss,e ntliianlkBleryde, ca hntdB enjaam siinm:i lar histoirmiacgailna antadis oinm ihluamra niLsimkG.er amtshceiy werdei stingfuriotsmhh oeeffi dc iCaolm munmiosvte moefnt th e thirbtyia ed se ehpi stopreiscasli imnitswomh icahc,c ortdoi ng RomaRionl lafnodr'msu' lPae,s siomfti hsIemn telOlpetcitm,i sm oft hWei ltlh'e,py l ansteeedd loifhn ogpsae n,ud p ownh itchhe y grounadd eida leucntdiecraslt oafpn adsiatnn gfd u tuArswe i.t h