The publication of this revised English edition of my Pollock biography seems particularly appropriate in light of the Frankfurt School’s own transatlantic history. In the last half century, US academics have produced crucial works on the history of Critical Theory. That the relevant Anglophone and German-language literature all too often lead independent lives is not least down to issues of translation. It is all the more gratifying to see my book come out in English just as I myself relocate from Bavaria to California. I should like to thank the many friends, colleagues and institutions who have made this possible.
In the first instance, I am grateful to the editors of the Historical Materialism Book Series, notably Sebastian Budgen and Loren Balhorn, for agreeing to publish my book, Danny Hayward for assistance and Simon Mussell for his copyediting. At Brill, Athina Dimitriou, Jennifer Obdam and Jason Prevost have been enormously helpful throughout. I am grateful to Nora Mercurio and Elena Cascio of the Suhrkamp Verlag for their unwavering support in facilitating this English-language edition. I am also indebted to Martin Jay for acting as an independent reader. Not least, I thank Lars Fischer who, by rendering not only an excellent translation but also making numerous helpful suggestions, has gone far beyond the call of duty.
The publication of this book would have been impossible without the generous financial support of the History Department at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. Indeed, the department has played an indispensable role in recent years in facilitating, fostering and advancing my research. I am particularly grateful, to single out just one of my colleagues, to Wolfgang Piereth. I owe an abundance of intellectual stimulation and academic experience to my colleagues and students in Munich, notably to Michael Brenner, Daniel Mahla, Julia Schneidawind and Evita Wiecki
Munich/Berkeley
November 2022