Walter Benjamin and Bertolt Brecht : the story of a friendship / Erdmut Wizisla ; translated by Christine Shuttleworth.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Print version record.

"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, during the crucial interwar years in Berlin." "From the first meeting between Benjamin and Brecht and their roles in the ideological debate leading up to World War II, to their experiences in exile and Benjamin's reaction to Brecht's death, the events in this friendship are illuminated by the use of personal correspondence, journal entries, and notes - including previously unpublished materials- from the friends' electric discussions of shared projects.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 Margaret Steffrin - Brecht's assistant and lover - Theodor Adorno, and Hannah Arendt." "Wizisla shows us the fascinating ideological exchanges between the two, with Benjamin espousing his ideas on historical materialism, German idealism, and Jewish mysticism as a foil for Brecht's Marxist concept of art. Their differences foreshadowed the clash between Communism and Socialism in Weimar Germany that preceded the rise of the Nazi Fascism. 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."--Jacket.

Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Publisher's Note -- Chronology of the Relationship -- Map and time chart of Benjamin and Brecht -- I: A Significant Constellation -- May 1929 -- A Quarrel Among Friends -- II: The Story of the Relationship -- First Meeting, A Literary Trial, Dispute over Trotsky, 1924�29 -- Stimulating Conversations, Plans for Periodicals, 'Marxist Club', 1929�33 -- Exile, Detective Novel, Chess, 1933�40 -- III: 'Krise und Kritik' -- Project for a Journal -- Contributors -- Topics: Crisis, Criticism, Method, Role of Intellectuals

Ambition and FailureIV: Benjamin on Brecht -- Agreement -- Laboratory of Versatility' -- V: Brecht on Benjamin -- 'Expert Opinions' -- 'Useful to Read' -- Four Epitaphs -- Appendix: Documentation and Minutes of 'Krise und Kritik' -- Endnotes -- List of Abbreviated Titles and Sources -- List of Works Cited -- Acknowledgements and Permissions -- Annotated Name Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z -- Index of Works -- A -- B

CD -- E -- F -- G -- H -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- V -- W -- Index of Works -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- K -- L -- M -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- W

eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - Worldwide