Walter Benjamin

Walter Benjamin

25-Jan-2021

Germany

Philosopher

Walter Benjamin was a German-Jewish philosopher, cultural and literary critic and essayist. He was active with the ‘Western Marxism’ and ‘Marxist hermeneutics’. Walter was born to a prosperous Jewish family in Berlin. He was formally educated at the Kaiser Friedrich School in ‘Charlottenburg’. He was an alumnus of ‘University of Freiburg’, and ‘The University of Berlin’. He settled in Berlin during the 1920s and worked as a translator and a literary critic. The war played the villain when his literary career begun and he shifted to Paris in 1933. Walter is acclaimed for his letters and essays that showed much intellect and mostly surrounded Zionism. Fearing his capture by the Nazis, he committed suicide in 1940. ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’, ‘The Task of the Translator’ and ‘Theses on the Philosophy of History’ were his most exalted works. His association with great thinkers and literary geniuses of his time is considered the backing of his works. In modern times, Walter is regarded as one of the most renowned German literary critics. This great personality made an infamous era bright by his thinking and work. Here is a treasure trove of sayings and quotations by the great writer and critic. Go through the notable quotes and sayings by Walter Benjamin which are minimized depiction of his persona.

QUOTES BY Walter Benjamin

History is written by the victors.

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Walter Benjamin

Writers are really people who write books not because they are poor, but because they are dissatisfied with the books which they could buy but do not like.

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Walter Benjamin

There is no document of civilization that is not at the same time a document of barbarism.

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Walter Benjamin

How many cities have revealed themselves to me in the marches I undertook in the pursuit of books!

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Walter Benjamin

To be happy is to be able to become aware of oneself without fright.

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Walter Benjamin

Work on a good piece of writing proceeds on three levels: a musical one, where it is composed; an architectural one, where it is constructed; and finally, a textile one, where it is woven.

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Walter Benjamin

You could tell a lot about a man by the books he keeps - his tastes, his interest, his habits.

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Walter Benjamin

It is the task of the translator to release in his own language that pure language that is under the spell of another, to liberate the language imprisoned in a work in his re-creation of that work.

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Walter Benjamin

Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector's passion borders on the chaos of memories.

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Walter Benjamin
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