Benjamin Walter. Illuminations: Essays and Reflections

New York: Schocken Books, 1969 — 278 p. — ISBN10: 0805202412; ISBN13: 978-0805202410.
Walter Benjamin was one of the most original cultural critics of the twentieth century. Illuminations includes his views on Kafka, with whom he felt a close personal affinity; his studies on Baudelaire and Proust; and his essays on Leskov and on Brecht's Epic Theater. Also included are his penetrating study "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," an enlightening discussion of translation as a literary mode, and Benjamin's theses on the philosophy of history. Hannah Arendt selected the essays for this volume and introduces them with a classic essay about Benjamin's life in dark times. Also included is a new preface by Leon Wieseltier that explores Benjamin's continued relevance for our times.Unpacking My Library.
The Task of the Translator.
The Storyteller.
Franz Kafka.
Some Reflections on Kafka.
What Is Epic Theater?
On Some Motifs in Baudelaire.
The Image of Proust.
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.
Theses on the Philosophy of History.
Editor's Note.
Index of Names.
Footnotes.