About this Event
Walter Benjamin (1892–1940) is widely considered one of the most creative cultural critics of the twentieth century. Esteemed for his literary acumen and capacious imagination, he developed a unique style of criticism—his friend Hannah Arendt called it pearl-diving—that sought out fragments of redemption in the ruins of bourgeois civilization.
Award-winning author Peter E. Gordon tells Benjamin’s story in a vivid and poetic style, inviting the reader to look beyond the image of Benjamin as a tragic figure of German-Jewish history and portraying him as a complex personality of unique and multifaceted gifts. Tracing Benjamin’s life from his Berlin childhood to his Parisian exile, through the romanticism of the youth movements and the conflicts over modernism and Marxism, Gordon brings Benjamin to life.
Peter Gordon will present his new biography, published by Jewish Lives, and discuss the intersection of Benjamin's life and work with Dean Whiteside. Books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Books on Call NYC.
Peter E. Gordon is the Amabel B. James Professor of History at Harvard University, where he teaches social theory and philosophy. His books include Migrants in the Profane: Critical Theory and the Question of Secularization and A Precarious Happiness: Adorno and the Sources of Normativity. Gordon is a critical theorist and an historian of modern European philosophy and social thought, specializing in Frankfurt School critical theory, phenomenology, existentialism, and Western Marxism. A frequent contributor of criticism and commentary to periodicals such as , , , , , , and , he has published major works on Heidegger, the Frankfurt School, Walter Benjamin, and Theodor W. Adorno.
Dean Whiteside (Goethe-Institut) studied music and philosophy at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, Universität Wien, and Vanderbilt Universty. He taught philosophy at the Institute for European Studies, and his essays and translations have been published in English, French, and German. As a conductor, he is the recipient of international accolades, including a Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S., and has worked with orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Zagreb Philharmonic, as well as opera houses such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.
This event is co-presented by Jewish Lives, published by Yale University Press.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Goethe-Institut New York, 30 Irving Place, New York, United States
USD 0.00
