Radio Benjamin: Postage Stamp Swindles

"The Collection" is a recurring topic investigated by our storytelling critic/philosopher Benjamin. From his own books (especially children's books) to eclectic Aby Warburg style cabinets of curiosity, Benjamin tells a paradoxical story about stamps; little pieces of printed paper and the fascination they inspire. Not only does this tale explore our interest in rare objects of great value, it also describes subtle forgeries that have gathered just as much, if not more, value than the originals. From displacing "originals" to the cult of the copy, the collector of stamps becomes a perverse connoisseur. With Benjamin, the compulsion to discern the fake from the real, with a bias toward the artificial, is a recurring theme. Witness here the genesis of true phonies. Benjamin was an eclectic thinker, combining elements of German idealism, Romanticism, Western Marxism, and Jewish mysticism, he made enduring and influential contributions to aesthetic theory, literary criticism, and historical materialism. Walter Benjamin’s radio broadcasts (1929 - 1932) are a selection of children stories written and read by Benjamin during his colossal research project The Arcades Project, an allegorical look into the birth of modernity in 19th Century Paris. Though the series of broadcasts and the Arcades in general are decisively incomplete, the two enterprises echo one another in content, replete with provocative digressions, and unlikely connections (or "secret affinities").

•