Men in Dark Times

284 Pages·1970·5.755 MB·English

by  Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt
Men in
Dark Times
··uatrikm esi�sH rechtp"hsr asfer,o mt hef amous
poem' 'TPoo steriatnyd.H "a nnahA renduts eist
nott os uggetshta tt hosseh ew riteasb outa re
"mouthpieocfet sh eZ eitge(insotnei" n f acfitt
suchr olesb)u.t r,a thetrh,a tth er outirneep eti­
tivheo rroorfso urc entufroyr mt hes ubstanocfe
thed arka gainwshti cthh eilri veosfi llumination
werel in•dB.e ginniwnigt hL essinwgh,o is
treataesdi fh e werea contemporaarlylt, h e
essaywsr,i ttoenn' ra perioodf y earasr.e c on­
eernedw ithp ersons-wrwihtoe rshsa rteh efi rst
haloff t het wentieeetnht ury-aonndli ym plicitly
withi ssues.
Shee hoosaessh ers ubjecGtost thoElpdh raim
LessinHgo,s aL uxembur(gt hmea nlieosftt hem
all!P)o.p e.J ohnX XIIKIa.r lJ asperlss,a Dki ne­
sen,H ermannB roch\,\ 1alter BeBnejratmoilnt.
Brech\tV.a ldemGaurr iana,n dH andalJla rrell.
Eachh adt ow ondewrh ethefrr aternitthyel, o ve
off riendhass,a nyd ogmatibca siisn t hes ocial
order.
Dr.A rendbte lievtehsa "tE veni nt hed arkest
oft imewse havet her ighttoe xpecsto mei llumi­
natioann,d t hastu chi lluminamtaiyoc no mel ess
fromt heoriaensd c onceptthsa nf romt heu n­
eertafliine,k erianngdo, f tewne akl ightth asto me
men andw omen,i nt heilri \·acnsd w orksw,i ll
kindluen dera lmosatl lc ircumstaanncdes sh ed
overt het ime-sptahna tw as givent hemo n
earth.''
]ud\l·t rl.n.\i .Sg w1n11 1!h1Iyli lt'S..
Meni nD arTki mes
OTHER BOOKSB Y HANNAHARE NDT
OrigionfsT otalitarianism
BetweePna satn dF uture
On Revolution
TheH umanC ondition
Eichmannin Jerusalem
MEN IND ARI(T IMES
Hannah Arendt
HARCOURT, BRACE & WORLD, INC.,N EW YORK
Copyrigh©t 1955,1 965,1 966,1 967,1 968b y HannaAhr endAtl.l
righrtess erNvoep dar.to fth isp ublicmaatiyob ner eprodourctr eadn smitted
ina nyf oromrb ya nym eanesl,e ctroonrmi ecc haniicnacll,up dhiontgo copy,
recordoiran ngyi, n formatioann drs ettroiresavygaselt weimt,h opuetrm ission
inwr itifnrgo tmh peu blisheerd.i tiFLoiinrb.sr toa frC yo ngrCeastsa lCoagr d
Numbe6r8-:2 4381P.r inint ethde U nited oSftAm aetreisc a.
"OnH umanity in Dark Times:T houghatbosu tL essinagna, d"d reosns
acceptthiLene gs sPirnigoz fet hFer eCei toyfH ambuirng1 959o,r igi­
nalwlriyt tiennG ermanp,u blisbhyRe .dP ipeMru,n ic1h9,60 t,r anslated
byC lara Raincdh arWdi nston.
"RosLaux embur1g87:1 -191a9r ,e"v ioefJw .P .N ettl,R osLau xemubrgin,
TheN ewY orRke vieowfB ook1s9,6 6.
"AC hristoinaS ntP .e teCrh'asif rr o1m9 58t o1 963,a"r evieowfP opJeo hn
XXIIIJ,o urnoafal S oul, inT heN ew YorRke vieowfB ook1s9,6 5.
"KaJrals peAr Lsa:u dataidod,r"eg isvse inn1 958w hent hGee rmanP eace
Prizwea sa wardteodK arJla speorrsi,g inwarliltyti enG ne rmana nd
publisbhyRe .dP iperM,u nic1h9,5 8tr,a nslabtyCe lda raan d Richard
Winston.
"KarJla speCristi:z oefnt hWeo rld?" apipnTe haerP heidl osoopfhK ya rl
]aspeerdsi,t beydP .A .S chil1p9p57,n, o wp ublisbhyOe pde nC ourt
Publishing LCaoS maplalIlnley.,f, o Trh eL ibraoryfL iviPnhgi loso­
pherIsn,cU .s ebdy p ermission.
"IsDaikn es1e8n8:5- 1963a,r "e viienTw h e NeYwo rke1r9,6 8o,f P armenia
MigeTli,t anAi Bai.o grhayop fI saDki nseen.
"HermaBnrno c1h8:8 6-1951i,"n troducttoit ownov olumoefse ssaiyns
GesammeWletrek eR,h einveZriilriacg1h,9, 5 5( nowS uhrkaFmrpa,n k­
furt/oMr.i)g,i wnrailtlityne G ne rmant,r anslbayCt leadra an dR ichard
Winston.
"WaltBeern jami1n8:92 -194o0r,"i giinnaT lhleNy e w Yorke1r9,6 8i;n tro­
ductitooan c ollecotfhi ioesns saIylsl,u minaHtiaorncso,uB rrta,c& e
Worl1d9,6 8o,r igiwrintatlelinyn G ermantr,a nslabtyHe ardry Zohn.
"BertBorletc h18t9:8 -195a6p"p eairneT dhe N ew Yorke1r9,6 6.
"WaldeGmuarri a19n0:3- 1954a"p peairneTh de GuriaMne morIiaslso ufe
TheR evieowfP olit1i9c5s5,.
"RandJaalrrle 1l9l1:4 -196a5p"p eairneR adn daJlalr re1l9l1�,1 96F5a,r rar,
Strau&s G iro1ux9,6 7.
Contents
PREFACE vii
ON HUMANITY IN DARK TIMES:
THOUGHTS ABOUT LESSING
Translatebdy C laraa nd RichaWridnston
3
ROSA LUXEMBURG: 1871-1919
33
ANGELO GIUSEPPER ONCALLI: CAH RISTIAN
ON ST.P ETER'SC HAIRF ROM 1958T O 1963
57
KARL JASPERSA: LAUDATIO
TranslatebydC laraa nd RichaWridns ton
71
KARL JASPERSC:I TIZEN OF THE WORLD?
81
MEN IN DAR K TIMES
ISAKD INESEN:1 885-139 6
95
HERMANN BROCH: 1886--1951
TranslatebdyR ichardW inston
111
WALTER BENJAMIN:1 892-1940
TranslatebdyH arrZyo hn
153
BERTOLT BRECHT:1 898-1956
WALDEMAR GURIAN: 190�1954
RANDALL JARRELL: 1914-1965
z63
INDEX z6g
vi
PREFACE
W
RITI'EN ovear p erioodft welvyee arosn t hesp ur ofo ccasion
oro pportunityt,h icso llecotfie osns aaynsd a rticliesps r iamrily
concernewdi thp ersons-htohwe yl ivetdh eirl ivesh,o w they
movedi n twhoer lda,n dh owt hewye rea ffectbeydhi storical
time.T hep eoplaes semblheedr ceo ulhda rdlbye m oreu nlike
eacoht hearn,di tis notd ifficutloit m agihnoew t hemyi ghhta ve
proteshtaeddt ,h ebye egni vean v oicien tmhaet tearg,a inbset­
ingg atheriendta o co mmon rooams,i tw ere. tFhoerhy a vei n
commonn eithgeifrt sn orc onvictinoenist,hp erroe fssionno r
milieu; onweie txhce ptitohne,hy a rdly konfee awc oht heBru.t
thewye rec ontemaproiretsh,o ugbhe longtiond gif efrengte nera­
tions-excepotfc, o ursfeo,rL essiwnhgo,,h oweveirnt, h ei ntro­
ductoersys aiystr eateadst houghhew erea contemporTahruys.
thesyh arwei teha coht hetrh e aignwe h icthh eilri fsep afne ll,
thew orlddu rintgh efi rshta loff t het wenticeetnht uwriyt ih ts
politiccaatla streospi,ht mso radlis astearnsdi, t ass tonisdhein­g
velopmeonftt hea rtasn ds ciencAensd.w hilthise ageki lled
someo ft heman d detenninetdh el ifaen dw orko fo the,rt shere
area feww how ereh ardlya ffectanedd nonew hoco uldb es aid
vii
MEN IN DAR K TIMES
tob ec onditiboyni etdT. h osweh oa reo nt hel ookofuotrr epre­
sentatiovfe s aenr af,o rm outhpieocfet sh eZ eitgfeorie xspto,­
nentosfH isto(rpsye llweidt ah c apitHa)lwil l loohke rien v ain.
Stillt,h eh istoritciamle t,h e" dartikm es"m �ntioniendt he
titliesI,, t hinvki,s ibelvee rywhienrt eh ibso okI. b orrotwh e
term from Brechpto'esm " fTaoPm oosutse riwthyi,c"mh e ntions
thed isoradnedrt heh ungetrh,em assacarnedst hes laughterers,
theo utragoev eirn justaincdte h ed espa"iwrh ent herwea so nly
wronagn d onuot ragteh,el" e gitihmaatrteetd h amta keyso uu gly
nevertheltehsews e,l l-fouwnrdaetdth h amta ketsh ev oicger ow
hoarsAel.lt hiwsa sr eaeln ougahs i tt oopkl acienp ubilct;h ere
wasn otihngs ecroertm ysteriaobuosui tt A.n ds tiiltwl a,s b yn o
meanvsi sibtloa el ln,o rw asi ta ta lela styo p erceiivtfe;o ru,n ­
til vtehremy o menwth enc atastroopvheert ooekv erythainndg
everyboidtwy a,s c overuepdn otb yr ealibtiuetsb yt heh ighly
efficietnatl akn dd ouble-otfan leka rallyol ffi ciarle presentatives
who,wi thouintt erruptiaonndi nm anyi ngenivoaursi atieoxn­s,
plaineadw ayu npleasfaanctta sn dj ustified co'Wnhceenrw nes .
thinokfd artki measn do fp eopllei vianngd m ovinign t hemw,e
havteo t akteh icsa mouflaegmea,n atifnrgo ma nds preabyd" the
establishrnent""t-ohsrey stema,si" tw ast hecna lled-ailnstoo
accouIntfi. ti st hef unctioofnt hep ublrieca ltmot hrolwi gtoh n
thea ffaiorfs mebny p rovidai snpga coefa ppearanicnwe hsi ch
thecayn showi nd eeda ndw ord, bfeotrt aenrd w orsweh,o t hey
area ndw hatt heyc and o,t hend arkneshsa sc omew hent his
lighitse xtinguishbeyd" credibgialpista"yn d" invisgiobvleern ­
ment,b"y speecthh adto esn otd isclwohsaet i sb uts weepist
undetrh ec arpebty, e xhortatimoonrsa,al n do therwitshea,t ,
undetrh ep reteoxftu pholdionlgdtru ths, degradaeltru lth to
meaningltersisv iality.
Nothinogft hiissn ew.T hesaer et hec onditiownhsi cht,h irty
yearasg ow,e red escreidbb yS artrien L aN aus(ewhei cIht hink
iss tilhils b esbto oki)n t ermosfb adf aiatnh dl 'espder sietr ieux,
a worlidn w hicehv erybowdhyo i sp ublicrleyc ognibzeeldo ngs
amongt hes alaaunddse v,e rythtinhga its e xisitnsa no paque,
meaningltehsesr enwehsisc shp reaodbsf uscatiocna uasndedis s ­
gustAn.d thesaer et hes amec onditiwohnisc hf,o rtyye arasg o
viii