French Literature Reviews - 2026

W. Benjamin, Dreams
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

Walter Benjamin, Dreams

Edited by Burkhardt Lindner, translated from German by Christophe David

Le Promeneur Series, Gallimard, May 2009

ISBN 9782070125098

168 pages

21.50 €

Dreams and Their Interpretation—such could have been the title of this volume, had it not been already famous.
Dreams, because the first section brings together, as exhaustively as possible, the accounts of Benjamin’s own dreams in chronological order, along with previously unpublished texts discovered in his manuscripts.

Interpretation, because the second section features Benjamin’s theoretical reflections on dreams developed throughout his work, ranging from brief aphorisms and rich, extensive analyses of dream literature to the political critique of the "collective dream" from which humanity must be awakened. Thus, a significant dimension of Benjamin’s work comes to light—one that may have remained relatively unnoticed until now, yet holds a central place in his thought and writing (publisher's note)

This collection situates itself within the rich tradition of German-language critical theory and twentieth-century intellectual history, engaging with the broader intersections of psychoanalysis, philosophy and aesthetics. Throughout the twentieth century, writers and philosophers frequently turned to the unconscious and the oneiric as privileged sites for examining modern consciousness, alienation and historical memory.

This volume edited by Burkhardt Lindner brings together the accounts of Walter Benjamin’s own dreams in chronological order, along with previously unpublished texts discovered in his manuscripts. The second section features theoretical reflections on dreams developed throughout his work, ranging from brief aphorisms and analyses of dream literature to the political critique of the "collective dream" from which humanity must be awakened. Readers interested in twentieth-century German philosophy and the intersections of psychology and cultural critique may find this volume relevant to their reading of the author's work.