Benjamin’s letters reveal intimate thoughts amidst Nazi threat

Walter Benjamin wrote letters, published as “Las cartas francesas (1919-1940)” by Ampersand, that show the intersection of personal experience and intellectual thought.

The letters, written in German, French, and English, detail his history, desires, dreams, and writing process. Benjamin’s private actions gained political and historical weight as he wrote under the threat of Nazism and while in exile. The correspondence demonstrates how his philosophy extended into his choices of secret names, handwriting, paper, and personal confessions.