Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

One of the most important critics and intellectuals of the twentieth century, Walter Benjamin is the author of numerous significant essays on popular culture. We will begin with "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (1936).

Benjamin died in the Pyrenees fleeing from Nazis. It is generally thought that he committed suicide when caught on the border, but the film Who Killed Walter Benjamin (2005) argues differently.