Původ je cíl

The preface to The Origin of German Tragic Drama, the “unmitigated chutzpah”, as Benjamin himself called it, is today considered one of the most challenging philosophical texts written in the previous century. This is due to its experimental form, combining elements of mosaic, montage, collage, and assemblage of ideas, metaphors, aphorisms, and quotations. However, within this confined space, it also unfolds a range of philosophical themes as vast as the wings of an albatross. Therefore, we offer readers a detailed guide through this maze. The annotation follows the text of the preface sentence by sentence, word by word, while constantly referring to the main theme, which is the question of authenticity in the modern, authenticity-obsessed era.