The Symphonies of Escape

The following are the thirteen letters written by Walter Benjamin in his lifetime. Most of these letters (eleven) were written in French, but there are two exceptions, written in German. In addition to the commentaries, we have prepared a comprehensive set of notes which we hope will help the reader to make sense of the letters. We believe that the letters, together with the commentaries and notes, provide a complex picture of the last few months of Benjamin’s life, which were very decisive. The French letters (1–5. and 8–13. letter) are translations by Laura Klára Lukács and the German letters (6. and 7. letter) by Anna Branczeiz. The notes accompanying the letters are by Boglárka Daradics.