Siegfried Kracauer

The biography of Siegfried Kracauer, written by Jörg Später, offers a deep insight into the multifaceted life of one of the most significant thinkers of the 20th century. Born in 1889 in Frankfurt am Main and died in 1966 in New York, Kracauer was not only an architect and writer but also an influential editor of the Frankfurter Zeitung and part of the philosophical quartet with Adorno, Benjamin, and Bloch. This comprehensive biography illuminates his escape from National Socialism, his role in psychological warfare, and his diverse contributions to film and social science. Später narrates Kracauer's life story not as a dry chronicle but as a gripping tale that presents the challenges and achievements of a life in the context of a turbulent century.