Debates with Benjamin, Sohn-Rethel and Kracauer 231Although face-to-face meetings with the permanent members of the
institute were likely to take place shortly, this did not stop Adorno from
making scathing criticisms of the recent writings of Leo Löwenthal,
Herbert Marcuse and Erich Fromm in his letters. Towards Horkheimer,
he formulated his objections more diplomatically.^86 But his letters to
Benjamin contain outbursts that are as tactless as his judgements on
Kracauer had been. He claimed that all these ‘camp followers’ were ‘a
real danger. But I know all too painfully from the cases of Sternberger
and Haselberg just how difficult it is to defend ourselves against those
who imitate us.’^87 To Adorno’s mind there was scarcely any doubt
that there was little merit in Löwenthal’s studies of Strindberg and
Ibsen, and later on of Knut Hamsum,^88 all conducted from the point
of view of the sociology of literature. The same thing was true of Erich
Fromm’s socio-psychological work ‘The Feeling of Impotence’ in the
individual, and there was no merit at all in Herbert Marcuse’s ‘The
Affirmative Character of Culture’.^89 All these were recent publications
of the Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung. By confiding in Benjamin in this
way, and reaching an understanding with him about the defects in the
publications of other contributors, Adorno was able to express in
what high esteem he held him. But even if he thought him superior to
the majority of other intellectuals, he still read Benjamin’s writings with
almost the same critical ferocity as those of Löwenthal, Fromm and
Marcuse. Nevertheless, his view of Benjamin was unambiguous. ‘I regard
Benjamin as one of the most important contributors that we possess’,
he wrote to Horkheimer a few weeks before embarking for New York,
‘and if he is used properly we can expect him to achieve prodigiously.
I think, therefore, that it would be very reasonable to express this
appreciation in external respects too.’^90 This statement, which is just
one of many, shows very clearly that Adorno was very far from wanting
to marginalize Benjamin. On the contrary, as long as Benjamin found
himself isolated and in need of financial assistance, Adorno constantly
and reliably stood by him, and, despite growing differences of opinion
on a whole series of social issues, he stuck to him in practical matters.^91
Adorno had arranged various meetings in Paris before leaving for
the United States. In particular, he hoped to see the philosophers Jean
Wahl and Pierre Klossowski, and also to visit the Collège de Sociologie,
which had been founded by Roger Caillois, Georges Bataille and Michel
Leiris. Because of these arrangements, he decided to make the Atlantic
crossing on the Normandie. The tourist class tickets were paid for by
the institute. On 9 June the steamer sailed for New York from Le
Havre. Adorno was very anxious to obtain a single cabin, since he was
terrified by ‘the idea of sea-sickness with a witness’.^92 His intention was
to join in the daily work of the institute, meetings, discussions, etc., right
after his arrival. He was quite happy about this. ‘It is the fulfilment of
an old desire of mine, that of “integration” – like Kafka’s land-surveyor.
And how pleased I am that the institute is not the Castle.’^93