25 September 2015
“My Great Fear Is That We Have Much Less Time at Our Disposal Than We Imagined”
Seventy-five years ago this week, after nearly a decade in exile, health failing, and facing internment and transfer to a concentration camp, Walter Benjamin ended his own life with a massive dose of morphine. Much of what we know of Benjamin’s final years comes from what remains of his long correspondence with Theodor Adorno and with Gershom Scholem, among others, a body of letters through which he relates his increasingly precarious position in Europe. The letter below, dated August 2nd, 1940, was Benjamin’s last message to Adorno, save a brief note penned the night of his death.
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I was delighted to receive your letter of 15 July for a number of reasons–for one, because you kindly remembered my birthday; and for another, because of the great understanding which spoke from your words. No, it really is not that easy for me to write letters. I spoke to Felizitas1 about the enormous uncertainty in which I find myself concerning my writings (although I fear rather less for the notes and papers connected with the Arcades project2 than I do for the other materials). But as you know, things currently look no better for me personally than they do for my works. The circumstances that suddenly befell me in September3 could easily be repeated at any time, but now with a wholly different prospect. In the last few months, I have seen a good number of people who have not so much simply drifted out of their steady bourgeois existence as plunged headlong from it almost overnight; thus every reassurance provides an inner succor that is less problematic than the external support. And in this sense I was profoundly grateful to receive the document4 addressed “à ceux qu’il apartment.” I can easily imagine that the letterhead5, which was a delightful surprise, could significantly reinforce the possible effect of the document.
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I was delighted to receive your letter of 15 July for a number of reasons–for one, because you kindly remembered my birthday; and for another, because of the great understanding which spoke from your words. No, it really is not that easy for me to write letters. I spoke to Felizitas1 about the enormous uncertainty in which I find myself concerning my writings (although I fear rather less for the notes and papers connected with the Arcades project2 than I do for the other materials). But as you know, things currently look no better for me personally than they do for my works. The circumstances that suddenly befell me in September3 could easily be repeated at any time, but now with a wholly different prospect. In the last few months, I have seen a good number of people who have not so much simply drifted out of their steady bourgeois existence as plunged headlong from it almost overnight; thus every reassurance provides an inner succor that is less problematic than the external support. And in this sense I was profoundly grateful to receive the document4 addressed “à ceux qu’il apartment.” I can easily imagine that the letterhead5, which was a delightful surprise, could significantly reinforce the possible effect of the document.The complete uncertainty about what the next day, even the next hour, may bring has dominated my life for weeks now. I am condemned to read every newspaper (they now come out on a single sheet here) as if it were a summons served on me in particular, to hear the voice of fateful tidings in every radio broadcast. My attempt to reach Marseilles, in order to put my case at the Consulate there, was a wasted effort. For some time now it has been impossible for foreign nationals to obtain a permit for a change of residence. Thus I remain dependent on what all of you are doing for me from abroad. In particular, the prospect of hearing something from the Consulate in Marseilles renewed my hopes somewhat. A letter from the Consulate there would probably get me permission to go down to Marseilles. (I am actually still unable to decide whether I should make contact with any Consulates in the occupied territories. A letter which I sent to Bordeaux before the German occupation, received a fairly cordial but noncommittal answer: the required documents were still in Paris.)
I have heard something about your negotiations with Havana and your efforts concerning San Domingo. I am quite sure you are doing everything humanly possible, and indeed “more than humanly possible” as Felizitas puts it, to help me. My great fear is that we have much less time at our disposal than we imagined. And although I would not have contemplated the possibility a fortnight ago, new information received has moved me to ask Mme Favez, with the intervention of Carl Burckhardt, if she could possibly obtain permission for me to visit Switzerland on a temporary basis. I realize there is much to be said against trying this escape route, but there is one very powerful argument in its favor: and that is time. If only this way out were possible! – I have written a letter to Burckhardt for help.
You will be getting my curriculum vitae via Geneva–which is also how I shall probably be sending these lines. I have incorporated the bibliography of my writings into the biographical information because I don’t have the resources here to organize the material more precisely. (All in all it comes to approximately 450 items.) If a bibliography in the narrower sense is still required, the Institute’s official prospectus contains one you could use. I cannot provide you with a better one at present.
It is a great comfort for me to know that you remain “reachable” in New York, and constantly watchful, in the deepest sense, for me. Mr. Merril Moore lives in Boston at 384 Commonwealth Avenue. Mrs. W. Bryher, the publisher of Life and Letters Today has often mentioned me to him. He probably has a good idea of my situation and the will to do something to help. I think it might be worthwhile for you to get in touch with him.
For the rest, you can be sure that I have learned to value the efforts which Mrs. Favez is making on my behalf and her general reliability very much indeed.
I am very sorry to hear that Felizitas’ condition remains so unstable and that she will be unable to profit from a relaxing holiday break this time. Please give her my heartfelt regards.
Could you also pass on my sincere thanks and kindest regards to Herr Pollock.
Lots of love from your
Walter Benjamin
PS Please forgive the painfully complete signature: it is officially required.
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- Felizitas: Benjamin’s nickname for Adorno’s wife, Gretel
- the notes and papers connected with the Arcades project: Benjamin had handed these over to Georges Bataille, who concealed them in the Bibliotheque Nationale.
- The circumstances that suddenly befell me in September: Benjamin is referring here to his internment, first outside Paris and subsequently at Nevers.
- the document: i.e. officially confirming Benjamin’s association with the Institute.
- the letterhead: the document in question appeared on the official headed paper of The Institute of Social Research, on which the name Walter Benjamin was also printed. In response to Hannah Arendt’s attacks on Adorno and the Institute in her essay “Walter Benjamin,” Friedrich Pollock later wrote to Hans Paeschke, the editor of Merkur, as follows: “In view of the rather scholastic philological precision which informs the polemic against Adorno, I can certainly inform you that documentary confirmation of Benjamin’s position in the Institute is available. I possess some official headed letter-paper from the Institute in New York which lists, under the head of “Research Staff,” the two directors first, and then the names of the “members” of the Institute in alphabetical order. The list commences with the names: “Theodor W. Adorno, Walter Benjamin...”
《發達資本主義時代的抒情詩人》收入的3篇論文，論波特萊爾的幾個主題很可參考。
《發達資本主義時代的抒情詩人‧修訂譯本》
- 作者： （德）本雅明
- 出版社：生活‧讀書‧新知三聯書店
- 出版日期：1989/
- 作者： 班雅明
- 原文作者：Walter Benjamin
- 譯者：張旭東、魏文生
- 出版社：臉譜
- 出版日期：2010/
內容簡介
這部《發達資本主義時代的抒情詩人》，班雅明面向巴黎和波特萊爾，寫於一九三七、三八年他思想最成熟的高原之時，是他最綿密最詩意也最言志的作品，更是人類思維長河中一個獨特無倫的奇蹟。──唐諾
為了在我們通常的參考框架中精確描述班雅明的作品和他本人，人們也許會使用一連串的否定性陳述，諸如：他的學識是淵博的，但他不是學者；他研究的主題包括文本及其解釋，但他不是語言學家；他曾被神學和宗教文本釋義的神學原型而不是宗教深深吸引，但他不是神學家，而且對《聖經》沒什麼興趣；他天生是個作家，但他最大的野心是寫一本完全由引文組成的著作；他是第一個翻譯普魯斯特（和佛朗茲．黑塞一道）和聖．瓊．珀斯的德國人，而且在他翻譯波特萊爾的《惡之華》之前，但他不是翻譯家；他寫書評，還寫了大量關於在世或不在世作家的文章，但他不是文學批評家；他寫過一本關於德國巴洛克的書，並留下數量龐大的關於十九世紀法國的未完成研究，但他不是歷史學者，也不是文學家或其他的什麼家，我們也許可以試著展示他那詩意的思考，但他既不是詩人，也不是思想家。──漢娜．鄂蘭
班雅明的思想源於她的時代，但又無法歸之於同時代任何一種思想主潮；他的思想具有某種獨特的色彩，這種顏色又不存在於當代思想的光譜之中。──阿多諾
作者簡介
原著作者：班雅明（Walter Benjamin）
班雅明（Walter Benjamin, 1892-1940）
德國籍猶太人，生於柏林。1912年進入弗萊堡大學哲學係就讀，此後兩年全心投入德國的「青年運動」。1914年班雅明逐漸脫離政治社會運動， 專心於文學與哲學研究，1919年完成博士論文。1925年他的教授資格論文《德國悲劇的起源》被法蘭克福大學拒絕，直到1928年才出版。1925年起他開始定期為《法蘭克福日報》和《文學雜誌》撰寫評論，他曾在書信中向朋友表示希望能晉升為德國數一數二的評論家。1933年希特勒上台後，班雅明離開德國，流亡到法國，1940年德軍攻陷巴黎，在納粹追捕下，他於法、西邊界服毒自殺，時年四十八歲。
班雅明在世時鮮為人知，他的文字在當年也因政治立場與行文風格而被阿多諾與霍克海默大量刪改、要求重寫，甚至不容許出版。他與法蘭克福學派走得很近，可是他從來不願意加入共產黨。阿多諾等人從1950年代中期起編纂出版班雅明的文集與書信集，使他聲名大噪，甚至在西方形成所謂的「班雅明復興」。
1990年班雅明逝世五十週年時，以及1992年的百歲冥誕，都舉行過大型的國際學術研討會，以彰顯其學術地位。他被人譽為「歐洲真正的知識分子」、「二十世紀最後的精神貴族」以及「二十世紀最偉大的文學心靈之一」。
班雅明時常被稱為「左翼馬克思主義文人」，其實他的複雜性絕非他早期馬克思思想濃厚時代的文字可以涵蓋。再加上他複雜的文體風格與思想脈絡，以及他的猶太神祕主義色彩，以致他很難輕易被系統化歸類。
其重要作品有〈論語言自身與人類的語言〉、〈德國浪漫派的藝術批評概念〉、〈論歌德的《親和力》〉、〈翻譯者的任務〉、《德國悲劇的起源》、 《莫斯科日記》、《單向道》、〈攝影小史〉、〈機械複製時代的藝術作品〉、〈說故事的人〉、《德國人民》、《瞭解布萊希特》、〈波特萊爾筆下第二帝國的巴黎〉、〈論波特萊爾的幾個主題〉、〈歷史哲學命題〉等，譯作有普魯斯特的《追憶似水年華》與波特萊爾的《巴黎風光》等。
譯者簡介
張旭東
1965年生於北京。1986年北京大學中文系畢業。美國杜克大學文學博士。1995-1999任美國新澤西州立羅格斯大學東亞系助理教授。1997-1998年度任羅格斯大學當代文化批評分析中心研究員。1998-1999年度獲美國洛克菲勒人文獎金，在紐約大學國際高等研究所訪問研究。現為紐約大學比較文學系和東亞研究系教授。
著有︰《幻想的秩序：批評理論與現代中國文學話語》《批評的蹤跡︰文化理論與文化批評》、《全球化時代的文化認同︰西方普通主義話語的歷史批判》等。譯有︰《發達資本主義時代的抒情詩人：論波特萊爾》、《啟迪：班雅明文選》等。
魏文生
大陸學者。
為了在我們通常的參考框架中精確描述班雅明的作品和他本人，人們也許會使用一連串的否定性陳述，諸如：他的學識是淵博的，但他不是學者；他研究的主題包括文本及其解釋，但他不是語言學家；他曾被神學和宗教文本釋義的神學原型而不是宗教深深吸引，但他不是神學家，而且對《聖經》沒什麼興趣；他天生是個作家，但他最大的野心是寫一本完全由引文組成的著作；他是第一個翻譯普魯斯特（和佛朗茲．黑塞一道）和聖．瓊．珀斯的德國人，而且在他翻譯波特萊爾的《惡之華》之前，但他不是翻譯家；他寫書評，還寫了大量關於在世或不在世作家的文章，但他不是文學批評家；他寫過一本關於德國巴洛克的書，並留下數量龐大的關於十九世紀法國的未完成研究，但他不是歷史學者，也不是文學家或其他的什麼家，我們也許可以試著展示他那詩意的思考，但他既不是詩人，也不是思想家。──漢娜．鄂蘭
班雅明的思想源於她的時代，但又無法歸之於同時代任何一種思想主潮；他的思想具有某種獨特的色彩，這種顏色又不存在於當代思想的光譜之中。──阿多諾
作者簡介
原著作者：班雅明（Walter Benjamin）
班雅明（Walter Benjamin, 1892-1940）
德國籍猶太人，生於柏林。1912年進入弗萊堡大學哲學係就讀，此後兩年全心投入德國的「青年運動」。1914年班雅明逐漸脫離政治社會運動， 專心於文學與哲學研究，1919年完成博士論文。1925年他的教授資格論文《德國悲劇的起源》被法蘭克福大學拒絕，直到1928年才出版。1925年起他開始定期為《法蘭克福日報》和《文學雜誌》撰寫評論，他曾在書信中向朋友表示希望能晉升為德國數一數二的評論家。1933年希特勒上台後，班雅明離開德國，流亡到法國，1940年德軍攻陷巴黎，在納粹追捕下，他於法、西邊界服毒自殺，時年四十八歲。
班雅明在世時鮮為人知，他的文字在當年也因政治立場與行文風格而被阿多諾與霍克海默大量刪改、要求重寫，甚至不容許出版。他與法蘭克福學派走得很近，可是他從來不願意加入共產黨。阿多諾等人從1950年代中期起編纂出版班雅明的文集與書信集，使他聲名大噪，甚至在西方形成所謂的「班雅明復興」。
1990年班雅明逝世五十週年時，以及1992年的百歲冥誕，都舉行過大型的國際學術研討會，以彰顯其學術地位。他被人譽為「歐洲真正的知識分子」、「二十世紀最後的精神貴族」以及「二十世紀最偉大的文學心靈之一」。
班雅明時常被稱為「左翼馬克思主義文人」，其實他的複雜性絕非他早期馬克思思想濃厚時代的文字可以涵蓋。再加上他複雜的文體風格與思想脈絡，以及他的猶太神祕主義色彩，以致他很難輕易被系統化歸類。
其重要作品有〈論語言自身與人類的語言〉、〈德國浪漫派的藝術批評概念〉、〈論歌德的《親和力》〉、〈翻譯者的任務〉、《德國悲劇的起源》、 《莫斯科日記》、《單向道》、〈攝影小史〉、〈機械複製時代的藝術作品〉、〈說故事的人〉、《德國人民》、《瞭解布萊希特》、〈波特萊爾筆下第二帝國的巴黎〉、〈論波特萊爾的幾個主題〉、〈歷史哲學命題〉等，譯作有普魯斯特的《追憶似水年華》與波特萊爾的《巴黎風光》等。
譯者簡介
張旭東
1965年生於北京。1986年北京大學中文系畢業。美國杜克大學文學博士。1995-1999任美國新澤西州立羅格斯大學東亞系助理教授。1997-1998年度任羅格斯大學當代文化批評分析中心研究員。1998-1999年度獲美國洛克菲勒人文獎金，在紐約大學國際高等研究所訪問研究。現為紐約大學比較文學系和東亞研究系教授。
著有︰《幻想的秩序：批評理論與現代中國文學話語》《批評的蹤跡︰文化理論與文化批評》、《全球化時代的文化認同︰西方普通主義話語的歷史批判》等。譯有︰《發達資本主義時代的抒情詩人：論波特萊爾》、《啟迪：班雅明文選》等。
魏文生
大陸學者。
目錄
選書說明3
【伴讀】唯物者班雅明──唐諾7
【譯者序】班雅明的意義──張旭東29
第一部波特萊爾筆下第二帝國的巴黎63
一波希米亞人64
二遊手好閒者96
三現代主義139
第二部論波特萊爾的幾個主題191
第三部巴黎，十九世紀的都城257
一傅立葉或拱廊街258
二達蓋爾或西洋景263
三格蘭維爾或世界博覽會266
四路易︱菲力普或內在世界270
五波特萊爾或巴黎街道273
六豪斯曼或街壘277
人名索引282
啟迪：本雅明文選(修訂版)
作者：本雅明
原文作者：Walter Benjamin
譯者：張旭東、王斑
出版社：牛津大學 ：2012/北京：三聯，2012
【伴讀】唯物者班雅明──唐諾7
【譯者序】班雅明的意義──張旭東29
第一部波特萊爾筆下第二帝國的巴黎63
一波希米亞人64
二遊手好閒者96
三現代主義139
第二部論波特萊爾的幾個主題191
第三部巴黎，十九世紀的都城257
一傅立葉或拱廊街258
二達蓋爾或西洋景263
三格蘭維爾或世界博覽會266
四路易︱菲力普或內在世界270
五波特萊爾或巴黎街道273
六豪斯曼或街壘277
人名索引282
啟迪：本雅明文選(修訂版)
作者：本雅明
原文作者：Walter Benjamin
譯者：張旭東、王斑
出版社：牛津大學 ：2012/北京：三聯，2012