Reviews

Berlin Childhood around 1900 by Howard Eiland, Walter Benjamin

nuriacarlotta's review against another edition

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5.0

Man taucht ein in die die Welt der Erinnerung, in die kindliche Wahrnehmung, in ein Arsenal aus Bildern, die einen in Momente der Zeitstillstellung versetzen.

ramalona's review

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challenging inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

5.0

There are no words

notizhefte's review against another edition

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3.0

Benjamin beschwört in kurzen und sehr kurzen Texten Bilder seiner Erinnerung herauf, die im Einzelnen durchaus plastisch geraten und sinnliche Eindrücke vermitteln. Es geht um das Erkunden und Inbesitznehmen der Umgebung. Die Seelenschau, die Benjamin bietet, bleibt gleichwohl recht unpersönlich. Oder hatten in der großbürgerlichen Familie Gefühle kaum einen Platz?
Der episodale Charakter der Texte ist für mich nicht zu einem Mosaik zusammengewachsen. Während eine Entwicklung des Kindes ausbleibt und nur im Triebleben immer wieder angedeutet wird, steuert der Rückblick des Erwachsenen Elemente einer gesellschaftspolitischen und ökonomischen Analyse bei, die der Vorstellungswelt des Knaben angesichts Umfeld und Erziehung fremd gewesen sein dürfte.
Interessant, aber für mich kein Gipfelpunkt der Memoirenliteratur.

samu_lesemaus's review against another edition

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Walter Benjamin certified Süßmaus

samumaus161's review against another edition

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Walter Benjamin certified Süßmaus

chelseamartinez's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a book in a fancy jacket and that made me feel that I did it an injustice by reading it on the subway/train/while walking around. Then again, there is not a whole lot to it, although the part about reaching into the cupboard for a snack is great, and the part about racing down a hill on a bicycle is great. My favorite part is a footnote that explained how the Berlin Tiergarten used to be a forest and as Berlin grew up around it, it was slowly converted into a public park by adding fountains or paths or gardens or whatever. For some reason (the reason being that I grew up in Southern California) the idea of a park arising from a natural space and not from reclaimed wasteland is wonderful.

diggo's review against another edition

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challenging reflective relaxing slow-paced

3.75

cest_la_bie's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

2.75

katrinepoetry's review against another edition

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2.0

Read simply because I had to teach it. A fractured memorial of his Berlin childhood written during the rise of the Nazi’s as it became clear he’d eventually had to leave his home town for good. Historically it’s a useful text representing the day to day life of a middle class child at the time. Read on its own it doesn’t offer up much to the reader.

finbariii's review

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reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.0