Friedrich Pollock

Philipp Lenhard’s book is the first biography on Friedrich Pollock (1894 – 1970). It talks about the life of a man who played a defining role in German-Jewish intellectual history but always kept to the background.

The son of an industrialist who wanted to abolish private property. A Jew who didn’t want anything to do with Judaism. A professor who published little. An economist who squandered his wealth on the stock market. A communist who thought Marxism was anachronistic. And finally: a critical intellectual.

When dealing with the political culture of the Weimar Republic, the development of »Critical Theory« and German-Jewish emigration to the USA, there is no way around dealing with Friedrich Pollock. Max Horkheimer’s companion and the founder of the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt plays an important part in German-Jewish intellectual history as a prominent representative of »Critical Theory«.

»one of the best, since methodically most reflected, biographies on a scholar of the last two decades.« Friedrich Wilhelm Graf, Neue Zürcher Zeitung

»Lenhard’s programmatic decision for the personal biography proves its great productiveness particularly in regards to the wealth of perspectives. Shining a light on the ›Éminence Grise‹ not only fills a void in the history of the Institue and of theory by providing a lot of material, it also shows the biographic dimensions of an intellectual world between the German Empire and the federal republic that no longer exists in that way.« Wolfgang Matz, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

»In addition, by reference to the life of Friedrich Pollock the image of a vanished world is created: that of the left-wing intellectuals of the Weimar Republic, who were quite often Jewish. How much they are missed is also shown by this fascinating biography.« Leander F. Badura, der Freitag

»An new, very worthwhile biography on the ›éminence grise‹ Friedrich Pollock by Philipp Lenhard […] skillfully completes the image of the ›Frankfurt School‹. Lenhard reinforces the argument that when you‘re dealing with the political culture of the Weimar Republic, the development of ›Critical Theory‹ and German-Jewish emigration to the USA, you won’t be able to avoid Friedrich Pollock.« Michael Hesse, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

»Lenhard‘s highly detailed biography not only follows the winding path of Pollock’s life, it is at the same time a brilliantly written introduction into his work, to be newly discovered, and a well-made overview of the history of the Institute for Social Research and the Frankfurt School.« Mathias Iven, Blättchen

»The depiction, exceptionally rich in material and very well written, is more than just a biogrpahy. It is, against the backdrop of German-Jewish (intellectual) history in the first half of the 20th century, also the history of ›Critical Theory‹ and its most important representatives.« Dirk Farke, woxx

»[Pollock’s biography shows], that work and person cannot be reduced to a footnote […] in the life of the popular Critical Theorists. The book makes it obvious that reading about Pollock is worthwhile – and that reading Pollock is as well.« Felix Brandner, Nilpferdkönige