Walter Benjamin and Bertolt Brecht: The Story of a Friendship

by Erdmut Wizisla, Christine Shuttleworth (Translator)

Erdmut Wizisla’s groundbreaking work explores for the first time the important friendship between Walter Benjamin, the acclaimed critic and literary theorist, and Bertolt Brecht, one of the twentieth century’s most influential theater artists and poets, during the crucial interwar years in Berlin.   From the first meeting between Benjamin and Brecht to their experiences in exile, the events in this friendship are illuminated by personal correspondence, journal entries, and notes—including previously unpublished materials—from the friends’ electric discussions of shared projects. In addition to exploring correspondence between the two, Wizisla presents documents by colleagues who shaped and shaded their relationship, including Margarete Steffin, Theodor Adorno, and Hannah Arendt.   Wizisla shows us the fascinating ideological exchanges between Benjamin and Brecht, including the first account of Berlin Marxist journal planned for 1931. The Minutes of its meetings record the involvement of Benjamin and Brecht, and offer a window onto the discussions on literature and politics that took place under the increasing threat of the German left’s political defeat. Wizisla’s examination of the friendship between Benjamin and Brecht, two artists at the height of their creative powers during a time of great political crisis, throws light on nearly two decades of European intellectual life.

Genres: Biography, Philosophy, Theory, Nonfiction, History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This account of the friendship between Bertolt Brecht and Walter Benjamin, and their influence on each other, is academic and scholarly but nevertheless accessibly written – even though probably not for the casual reader. The book explores in depth what the relationship meant to each of them, both professionally and personally. Benjamin’s admiration for Brecht is more well-known than perhaps Brecht’s for Benjamin, but it is clear from the research that they held each other in high esteem. The intellectual and cultural life of Germany at that time forms the backdrop to the narrative, and places both writers in their historical context. The author is the director of the Bertolt Brecht Archive in Berlin as well as the Walter Benjamin Archives. He has used the letters and journals from the archives for the book, which gives it both authority and credibility. It wasn’t an easy read, but I learnt much from it and would recommend it to serious readers interested in either or both of these iconic figures of 20th century German culture.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in the intellectual and cultural history of the German-speaking countries between the World Wars, this title is self-recommending. It is academic but readable, very detailed and totally hardcore.