35 The Podcasters' "Foreign Patriarch": Walter Benjamin's Radio Shows
On March 23, 1927, Walter Benjamin, aged 35, unable to find a teaching position at a university, and somewhat depressed, began his first radio broadcast. In fact, commercial radio broadcasting in Germany had only been underway for three or four years at the time. Benjamin was among the earliest European cultural figures to personally practice this then-"new media." Over the following years, Benjamin's voice began to drift into countless households across Germany via radio waves. He was also able to support his family thanks to the "traffic" generated by his "radio shows," until the Nazis came to power in 1933. In this episode, the two hosts will start by discussing the new book from Wenjing Publishing, Benjamin's Radio (compiled and translated by Wang Fanke, Century Wenjing, July 2023), and talk about the broadcasting career of this "foreign patriarch" of podcasters.
Original Chinese title & description
35 播客人的“洋祖师爷”：本雅明的广播秀
1927年3月23日，35岁、在大学找不到教职、多少有些郁闷的瓦尔特·本雅明开始了自己的第一次无线电广播。实际上，当时德国的商用无线电广播起步不过三四年的时间。本雅明算是最早一批亲身实践这种当年“新媒体”的欧洲文化人。此后数年间，本雅明的声音开始在德国上空随着电波飘进了千家万户。而他本人也靠着“广播秀”带来的“流量”，得以养家糊口，直到1933年纳粹上台。本期节目，两位主播将从文景出版社的新书《本雅明电台》（王凡柯编译，世纪文景，2023年7月）聊起，讲讲这位播客人“洋祖师爷”的广播生涯。
Participation credit “本期参与者”：沙青青（微信公众号：13号埋立地、小红书：Sha-13号埋立地）。
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