Benjamin in i10: Journalistic Networks, Exchange, and Reception behind a Dutch, Multi-Lingual, Avant-Garde Magazine

Abstract

Walter Benjamin published five articles in i10, a Dutch multi-lingual avantgarde magazine published from 1927 to 1929. Behind these contributions lies a rich practice of journalistic exchange. I explore the threads of this exchange in three ways: through a) the contents of the magazine; b) letters between Benjamin and editor Arthur Mu¨ller Lehning; and c) Benjamin’s reception in Dutch newspapers in the late 1920s. Exploring Benjamin in this context, gives a sense of the multifaceted value for Benjamin of a new—and young—publishing venue. He brought his own network to the magazine, which benefitted him financially. He was, further, able to draw on the network behind i10, entering, at least by name, into Dutch literary circles. Analyzing Benjamin’s work in i10 also gives a sense of the European discussions around new media and the arts and politics of Soviet Russia that took place when Benjamin was thinking and writing about the same subjects. (MP)