Walter Benjamin and Bertolt Brecht

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This study explores the significance of the friendship between Benjamin and Brecht, highlighting its impact on their lives as writers and their other relationships. At the peak of their creative powers amid a looming political crisis, they were part of a remarkable group of writers and creators in Weimar Germany, many of whom were in exile after 1933, including Theodor Adorno, Gershom Scholem, and Hannah Arendt. Benjamin's wide-ranging cultural interests—spanning literature, film, photography, architecture, and philosophy—made him a figure claimed by various political ideologies. His friendship with the politically engaged Brecht, who was embracing Marxism, was perceived as a threat to Benjamin's talent by admirers like Adorno and Scholem, who often overlooked Benjamin's own political convictions. The book vividly depicts the dynamics of this intellectual constellation during the decline of the Weimar Republic into Nazi dictatorship, as opposition to the regime emerged amid the challenges of emigration. It examines how friendships evolved in response to changing circumstances, while centering on the working relationship between Benjamin and Brecht. This exploration sheds new light on nearly two decades of European intellectual life during a pivotal period.