December 2010
19 posts
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“Collectors are people with tactical instinct; their experience teaches them that...”
– Walter Benjamin, “Unpacking My Library” in Illuminations
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“Meet Walter Benjamin, the prolific 20th century German cultural theorist who...”
– From Art In the Age of Mechanical Reproduction an artist collaborative and store based in Philadelphia which aims to empower artists to create and experience the aura Benjamin found was lost due to the intense commercialization of the modern economy.
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“The idea of life and afterlife in works of art should be regarded with an...”
– Walter Benjamin, The Task of the Translator
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ArchDaily: The Indicator - Book Review "Walter... →
Guy Horton gives a brief review of the new book “Walter Benjamin and Architecture”, which explores Benjamin’s contributions to the field of Architecture. I’m most excited to read Terry Smith’s essay, “Daniel among the philosophers”, which describes how architect Daniel Liebskind used Benjamin’s writings as he was struggling to create the Jewish Museum of Berlin.
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Excerpt from "Walter Benjamin's Grave" by Michael... →
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Gathering Storm by David Kaufman →
Interesting reflection on Benjamin from Tablet. Emphasis on Interesting
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“There is nothing more memorable than the fervor with which Kafka emphasized his...”
– Walter Benjamin, “Some Reflections on Kafka” from Illuminations
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“The genuine picture may be old, but the genuine thought is new. It is of the...”
– Walter Benjamin, Schriften II
speakinginpalindromes: The Reading Box →
speakinginpalindromes:
“We can never entirely recover what has been forgotten. And this is perhaps a good thing. The shock of repossession would be so devastating that we would immediately cease to understand our longing. But we do understand it; and the more deeply what has been forgotten lies buried within us, the…
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“A chronicler who recites events without distinguishing between major and minor...”
– Walter Benjamin, “Theses on the Philosophy of History” in Illuminations. Here Benjamin references his idea of messianic time, that history builds gradually to a point of destruction. Some would disagree. His myopic texts leave much open to possibility.
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Modern & Im/material things: A Few Notes About... →
On point. Who doesn’t love libraries.
modernandmaterialthings:
Although I have very few material possessions, I have a library of books. My collection is by no means complete, but I take pride in what I have. Among my most prized possessions is a 112 year old copy of Leaves of Grass. I found it in an antiques store between old books about geography and…
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“[The Existence of an ‘homme de lettres’] was something unknown in...”
– Hannah Arendt, Introduction to Illuminations.
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On the Concept of History →
Benjamin’s famous essay, often referred to as Theses on the Philosophy of History is one of Benjamin’s famous works. Here, Benjamin discusses the ideas and concepts of the past as they relate to modern ideas of progress. Here, he cites Paul Klee’s painting, “The Angel of History” as the image of the past and progress.
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“Posthumous fame is too odd a thing to be blamed upon the blindness of the world...”
– Hannah Arendt, Introduction to Illuminations
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