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This illuminating study of Benjamin's final essay helps unlock the mystery of this great philosopher

About the Author

Michael Löwy isResearch Director of Sociology at the Centre National de la RechercheScientifique, Paris. His previous books include Redemption and Utopia: Liberation Judaism in Central Europe, Marxism in Latin America and The War of the Gods: Religion and Politics in Latin America.

Reviews

Sensitive to Benjamin's profound anxiety and the tragic vision of the world, Löwy traces the unfurling of this 'revolutionary melancholia,' which is haunted by the recurrence of disasters ... It is unusual to explore the depths of a text in this manner, but it is true that we have here the text of an exceptional thinker.
*Le Monde*