Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin was a German-Jewish philosopher, cultural critic, media theorist, and essayist. An eclectic thinker, he combined elements of German idealism, Jewish mysticism, Western Marxism, and post-Kantianism, making significant contributions to the philosophy of history, metaphysics, historical materialism, criticism, and aesthetics.

His influence extended to the resurrection of the Kabbalah, largely due to his life-long epistolary relationship with Gershom Scholem. Despite differing opinions about his philosophical status, Benjamin's work was marked by a unique aura of authority that often incited contradiction. While he considered his research theological, he avoided traditional metaphysical sources of authority.

Benjamin was affiliated with the Frankfurt School and maintained relationships with notable figures such as the playwright Bertolt Brecht, Martin Buber, and Carl Schmitt. His complex relationship with Hannah Arendt and her connections to him through family and academia is also noteworthy.

Among his most famous essays are "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" and "Theses on the Philosophy of History". Benjamin's scholarly work also encompassed essays on literary figures like Baudelaire, Goethe, Kafka, and Proust, and he contributed significantly to translation theory.

Tragically, Benjamin's life ended at the age of 48 as he fled the advance of the Third Reich. His death on the French-Spanish border was a result of his efforts to escape persecution as a Jew. Despite limited recognition during his lifetime, Benjamin's work gained international acclaim posthumously, particularly after being introduced to the English-speaking world by Hannah Arendt.