This is a representative selection of Walter Benjamin's intellectual and literary writings. Reminiscences of childhood, reflections on language, psychology, aesthetics and politics are brought together to reveal the range of Benjamin's thought.

This is a representative selection of Walter Benjamin's intellectual and literary writings. Reminiscences of childhood, reflections on language, psychology, aesthetics and politics are brought together to reveal the range of Benjamin's thought. The introduction by Susan Sontag explores and assesses the enigmatic temperament of the author. The collection contains the most representative and illuminating pieces of his work over a 20-year period. Walter Benjamin is the author of "Charles Baudelaire: A Lyric Poet in the Era of High Capitalism", "The Origins of German Tragic Drama" and "Understanding Brecht".