Time of the Magicians

Dive into the tumultuous intellectual landscape of the early 20th century with "Time of the Magicians," a captivating narrative chronicling the intertwined lives and radical ideas of four towering philosophical figures: Walter Benjamin, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Ernst Cassirer. Set against the backdrop of post-WWI Europe, the book unveils a pivotal decade (starting in 1919) when each man faced personal and professional crossroads. From Benjamin's academic struggles and financial precarity to Wittgenstein's dramatic renunciation of wealth for spiritual clarity, Heidegger's calculated career ascent, and Cassirer's fervent intellectual pursuits on the academic margins, their individual journeys are meticulously detailed. Wolfram Eilenberger masterfully weaves these disparate threads into a grand intellectual drama, illustrating how their philosophies, though distinct, converged to profoundly shape the 20th century. As their legacies are forged, the shadow of a second world war looms, highlighting the diverse and often divergent fates awaiting these intellectual giants.