falter Benjamin was born in Berlin in 1892. He studied philosophy ld theology in Berlin and Switzerland, and lived in various places in urope including several years in Paris. He was a regular contributor to lagazines and literary sections of newspapers. His numerous works dude The Origin afGerman Tragedy, "The Task of the Translator," ld "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." In HO, while fleeing the Gestapo at the Franco-Spanish border, he took is own life. he University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 he University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London I 1994 by The University of Chicago II rights reserved. Published 1994 rinted in the United States of America 3 02 01 00 99 98 97 96 95 94 1 2 3 4 5 ;BN: 0-226-04237-5 (cloth) riginally published in Germany in 1978 as a two-volume edition under e titles Briefe 1, 1910-1928 and Briefe 2, 1929-1940, © Suhrkamp erlag, Frankfurt am Main 1966. brary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data :njamin, Walter, 1892-1940. [Correspondence. English] The correspondence of Walter Benjamin, 1910-1940/ edited and annotated by Gershom Scholem and Theodor W. Adorno ; translated by Manfred R. Jacobson and Evelyn M. Jacobson. p. cm. "Originally published in Germany in 1978 as a two-volume edition under the titles Briefe 1, 1910-1928 and Briefe 2,1929-1940, copyright Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1966"-T.p. verso. Includes index. 1. Benjamin, Walter, 1892-1940-Correspondence. 2. Authors, German-20th century-Correspondence. I. Scholem, Gershom Gerhard, 1897- . II. Adorno, Theodor W., 1903-1969. III. Title. PT2603.E455Z48 1994 838' .91209-dc20 [B] 93-41005 I The paper used in this publication meets the minimum =Juirements of the American National Standard for formation Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed brary Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. CIP Contents Note on Sources Vll Translators' Note IX Foreword, by Gershom Scholem Xl Benjamin the Letter Writer, by Theodor W. Adorno XVll THE LETTERS 3 Index of Correspondents 641 General Index 645 ,