Philosophy is often associated with friendship. Strange Friends beautifully traces this aspiration through the correspondence of Scholem, Benjamin, Adorno, and others. Providing a riveting, thoughtful, and meticulous account of how friendship was sought by three determined individuals during times of devastating upheaval and disappointment, Eiland's book will fascinate readers interested in their works, the times in which they lived, and the possibilities and challenges for philosophical friendship.

Brendan Moran, Professor of Philosophy, University of Calgary, Canada

This fascinating book shows us how to read the letters exchanged by Benjamin, Adorno, and Scholem as an estranging medium, even among friends. This is especially illuminating from the perspective of our own age in which letter writing is disappearing. Along the way, Howard Eiland introduces us to what becomes the enigmatic focus of a “strange friendship” – the philosophical, political, and personal matters that held these individuals together without requiring or resulting in consensus.

Kevin McLaughlin, George Hazard Crooker Professor of English, Comparative Literature, and German Studies, Brown University, USA