Unpacking My Library: A Talk about Collecting

Synopsis

In this essay, written in 1931, Walter Benjamin narrates the process of unpacking his library. All in boxes, he takes the reader through elements of his book collection: the memories attached to them, the importance he placed on the act of 'collecting' and the process of accumulation, and how objects like books inhabit a space. Walter Benjamin in brief: Born in Germany in 1892, Benjamin was known as a 'man of letters'. Having been educated in Switzerland he had a short career in the lead up to the Second World War, which saw him carve a niche as a literary critic.