Four Jews on Parnassus—a Conversation

Benjamin, Adorno, Scholem, Schönberg

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, Art Technique, Mixed-Media, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Four Jews on Parnassus—a Conversation by Carl Djerassi, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Carl Djerassi ISBN: 9780231518307
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: November 25, 2008
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Carl Djerassi
ISBN: 9780231518307
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: November 25, 2008
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

This book features a CD of rarely performed music, including a specially commissioned rap by Erik Weiner of Walter Benjamin's "Thesis on the Philosophy of History."

Theodor W. Adorno was the prototypical German Jewish non-Jew, Walter Benjamin vacillated between German Jew and Jewish German, Gershom Scholem was a committed Zionist, and Arnold Schönberg converted to Protestantism for professional reasons but later returned to Judaism. Carl Djerassi, himself a refugee from Hitler's Austria, dramatizes a dialogue between these four men in which they discuss fraternity, religious identity, and legacy as well as reveal aspects of their lives-notably their relations with their wives-that many have ignored, underemphasized, or misrepresented.

The desire for canonization and the process by which it is obtained are the underlying themes of this dialogue, with emphasis on Paul Klee's Angelus Novus (1920), a canonized work that resonated deeply with Benjamin, Adorno, and Scholem (and for which Djerassi and Gabrielle Seethaler present a revisionist and richly illustrated interpretation). Basing his dialogue on extensive archival research and interviews, Djerassi concludes with a daring speculation on the putative contents of Benjamin's famous briefcase, which disappeared upon his suicide.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book features a CD of rarely performed music, including a specially commissioned rap by Erik Weiner of Walter Benjamin's "Thesis on the Philosophy of History."

Theodor W. Adorno was the prototypical German Jewish non-Jew, Walter Benjamin vacillated between German Jew and Jewish German, Gershom Scholem was a committed Zionist, and Arnold Schönberg converted to Protestantism for professional reasons but later returned to Judaism. Carl Djerassi, himself a refugee from Hitler's Austria, dramatizes a dialogue between these four men in which they discuss fraternity, religious identity, and legacy as well as reveal aspects of their lives-notably their relations with their wives-that many have ignored, underemphasized, or misrepresented.

The desire for canonization and the process by which it is obtained are the underlying themes of this dialogue, with emphasis on Paul Klee's Angelus Novus (1920), a canonized work that resonated deeply with Benjamin, Adorno, and Scholem (and for which Djerassi and Gabrielle Seethaler present a revisionist and richly illustrated interpretation). Basing his dialogue on extensive archival research and interviews, Djerassi concludes with a daring speculation on the putative contents of Benjamin's famous briefcase, which disappeared upon his suicide.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book The Liberal State on Trial by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Dreaming of Cockaigne by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book China and India by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book A Hunger for Aesthetics by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Origins of Darwin's Evolution by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Dust and Other Stories by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book The Bhāgavata Purāna by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Classic Writings on Poetry by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Public Speech and the Culture of Public Life in the Age of Gladstone by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book GMO China by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Inventing English by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Solving Problems with Design Thinking by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Exemplary Women of Early China by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Globalectics by Carl Djerassi
Cover of the book Under Siege by Carl Djerassi
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy