Home › Criticism › Illuminations: Essays and Reflections
  • Illuminations: Essays and Reflections by Walter Benjamin book cover
  • Illuminations: Essays and Reflections by Walter Benjamin book cover
1 2

Illuminations: Essays and Reflections

by Walter Benjamin

Essays on art, literature, and history

$17.72 USD
$29.54 USD $17.72 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.
Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

Essays on art, literature, and history

This collection brings together Walter Benjamin’s criticism across several subjects, including Kafka, Baudelaire, Proust, Leskov, and Brecht’s epic theater. Its range is anchored by “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” and “Theses on the Philosophy of History,” two essays that connect questions of art and culture with broader historical reflection. Hannah Arendt’s essay on Benjamin’s life and philosophy adds a biographical perspective, including his experience as a German-born Jew during a dark era. The volume offers a cross-section of Benjamin’s writing alongside an account of the thinker whose work it gathers.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers exploring twentieth-century criticism and philosophy
  • Those interested in art, literature, and the history of cultural ideas
  • Readers seeking essays on Kafka, Baudelaire, Proust, Leskov, or Brecht

Themes

Art and mechanical reproductionLiterary criticismPhilosophy of historyThe lives and work of writers and thinkers

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A selection of works from one of the most original cultural critics of the twentieth century--as selected by Hannah Arendt and including a classic essay of her own about Walter Benjamin's life and philosophy. "There has been no more original, no more serious critic and reader in our time."--George Steiner An icon of criticism, Walter Benjamin was renowned for his insights on art, literature, and philosophy. This volume includes his views on Kafka, with whom he felt a close personal affinity; his studies on Baudelaire and Proust; and his essays on Leskov and on Brecht's epic theater. Illuminations includes two of Benjamin's best-known, deeply enlightening essays, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" and "Theses on the Philosophy of History," as well as Hannah Arendt's own essay about her subject's life as a German-born Jew during a dark era.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews

You may also like

View all