Per una topografia dell’esilio: l’esperienza dell’altrove in Ernst Bloch e Walter Benjamin

Abstract

The aim of this article is to compare Walter Benjamin and Ernst Bloch’s perception of  “abroad” through the Swiss “Pre-Exile” and the Exile during the Nazi dictatorship. The comparative analysis of their travel memories, of their letters and political essays will show how the concept of dislocation – intended as a feeling of disruption and detachment – takes on different meanings, thus revealing a common element shared by their work. Particular attention will be given to their journalistic writings and essays, which represent a form of political and cultural resistance against fascist propaganda and, at the same time, an attempt to awaken the German political forces of the left.