Walter Benjamin's Life and Work

This podcast episode explores the life, legacy, and fiction of Walter Benjamin, a prominent figure in 20th century thought. Benjamin's wide-ranging body of work draws on various influences, including Marxism, mysticism, poetry, and literary criticism. The episode discusses Benjamin's fiction writing, which delves into themes such as city living, sex, work, gambling, and fortune telling. It also highlights his fascination with letter writing as a way to establish alternative traditions and maintain connections with friends. The podcast touches on Benjamin's interest in radio and its intimate, one-to-one contact with listeners. It explores his views on technology, embracing its transformative and liberatory possibilities, in contrast to other Frankfurt School thinkers who were critical of it. Benjamin's complex relationships with women are also discussed, acknowledging his affairs and the treatment of his wife. The episode concludes with reflections on Benjamin's marginalization as both a Jew in a predominantly anti-Semitic society and as an outsider to conventional norms.