如果我们要为瓦尔特·本雅明寻找一个稍稍确定些的形象,我们也许只能在“收藏家”那里找到。那种笼罩着这一古老而不可捉摸的职业的神秘光晕,也正可以在这位西方马克思主义的难以把握的批评天才身上发现。本雅明时时以敬畏的口气谈起“收藏家”,仿佛并非在谈自己;他总是倾向于把“收藏”看作为一种不可言传的“热情”或“冲功”,也好以无关乎思虑的图谋。有一点是明白无误的,“收藏”并不在一个问题的意义上同本雅明的思想和联系,就如同本雅明自己的问题并不在一种历史统一体的意义上与西方形而上学 If we were looking for a slightly more definitive image of Walter Benjamin, we might only find it in “collectors.” The mysterious flare that shrouded this ancient and unpredictable profession can now be found in the hard-to-grasp critical genius of Western Marxism. Benjamin talked about the “collector” from time to time in awe of his tone, as though he were not talking about himself. He always tended to regard the “collection” as an unspeakable “passion” or “red power” Thoughtful conspiracy. One thing that is clear and unmistakable is that the “collection” does not deal with Benjamin’s thinking and connection in the sense of a problem as if Benjamin’s own problem was not related to Western metaphysics in the sense of a historical unity