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Letters to his Parents
1939-1951
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Letters to his Parents
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book will appeal to readers interested in philosophy, history, and exile studies, as well as scholars and students of the Frankfurt School. It also suits those fascinated by personal narratives of intellectual figures during turbulent times.
* These letters offer the reader a fascinating insight into the life of one the most important figures of twentieth-century intellectual life. * The letters touch upon issues of great personal and historical significance: the Nazi regime in 1930s Germany and the Second World War; the experience of the intellectual in exile.
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Description
My dears: this is but a brief note to welcome you to the new world, where you are now no longer all too far away from us. So begins Adorno’s letter to his parents in May 1939, welcoming them to Cuba where they had just arrived after fleeing from Nazi Germany at the last minute.
At the end of 1939 his parents moved again to Florida and then to New York, where they lived from August 1940 until the end of their lives. It is only with Adorno’s move to California at the end of 1941 that his letters to his parents start arriving once more, reporting on work and living conditions as well as on friends, acquaintances and the Hollywood stars of his time. One finds reports of his collaborations with Max Horkheimer, Thomas Mann and Hanns Eisler alongside accounts of parties, clowning around with Charlie Chaplin, and ill-fated love affairs. But the letters also show his constant longing for Europe: Adorno already began to think about his return as soon as the USA entered the war.
Letters to his Parents – surely the most open and direct letters he ever wrote – not only afford the reader a glimpse of the experiences that gave rise to the famous Minima Moralia, but also show Adorno from a previously unknown, very personal side. They end with the first reports from the ravaged Frankfurt to his mother – who remained in New York – and from Amorbach, Adorno’s childhood paradise.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Praised by Martin Jay of the University of California, Berkeley, these letters are described as "poignant, loving, anxious, at turns intellectually serious and childishly goofy," showcasing the enduring strength of family bonds amid exile. Scrupulously translated and annotated, this collection is regarded as a document of great importance for understanding the Frankfurt School and the migrant experience.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780745635422
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 15 January 2007
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Polity Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 155.0mm
Height: 226.0mm
Weight: 703g
Pages: 368
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About the Author
Theodor W. Adorno, The Frankfurt School
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