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Peter E. Gordon teaches social theory and philosophy at Harvard University. His books include Migrants in the Profane: Critical Theory and the Question of Secularization and A Precarious Happiness: Adorno and the Sources of Normativity. He lives in Cambridge, MA.
“A short, serene volume. . . . Gordon avoids treating his subject in allegorical terms, in part because Benjamin always resisted conscription into a story larger than his own.”—Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker “Gordon doesn’t belabour the tragedy of Benjamin’s death. Instead, he writes the life, and explains why his subject remains of value through works of striking critical insight.”—Stuart Jeffries, Financial Times Financial Times, “What To Read in 2026“ “This fine and concise biography by Harvard professor Peter E Gordon is a beautifully written corrective.”—Matthew D’Ancona, New World “By reading Benjamin’s own texts against the grain of the hagiography that has come to surround him, Peter Gordon unwinds the myths, and in the most learned and informed fashion, gives us back the human being.”—Susan Buck-Morss, CUNY Graduate Center and Cornell University
