Walter Benjamin Rank
About Walter Benjamin
Walter Benjamin was a German Jewish philosopher, essayist and cultural critic of the early 20th century. His kind of thinking was “multi-disciplinary”: he borrowed ideas from concepts and movements such as Romanticism, German idealism, Jewish mysticism and Western Marxism to help him influence literary criticism, aesthetic theory and historical materialism.
He put these thoughts in essays; notable amongst them being “Theses on the Philosophy of History”, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” and “The Task of the Translator”.
Family Life
He was the eldest of three children born to banker Emil Benjamin and his wife, Pauline Schönflies. In 1917, he married Dora Kellner, with whom he had a son in 1918. They divorced in 1930.
Legacy
His work influenced philosophers such as Susan Sontag, Gershom Scholem, Jacques Derrida and Giorgio Agamben.
Death
He overdosed on morphine tablets to commit suicide on 26 September 1940 to prevent an encounter with Nazi Germany soldiers.
Walter Benjamin Rank
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F.A.Q. about Walter Benjamin
When is his birthday?
Walter Benjamin's birthday is on July 15, 1892.
In how many days is his birthday?
Walter's birthday is in 81 days
How old was Walter when he died?
He was 48 years old.
When did he die?
He died in September 26, 1940.
How old would he be today?
Walter Benjamin would be 131 years old if he was alive today.
Where was Walter from?
He was born in Berlin, Germany.