Walter Benjamin, critic, essayist, translator, philosopher one of the twentieth century's most influential intellectuals continues to intrigue. This book acknowledges Benjamin's thesis that personal histories can be traced only in the context of social milieus, economic forces, technological shifts, and historical events.

Esther Leslie is professor of political aesthetics at Birkbeck, University of London. She is the author of many books and is, most recently, the editor and translator of Walter Benjamin's On Photography, also published by Reaktion Books.