Theodor W. Adorno remains one of the most enigmatic members of the famous Frankfurt School. His writings reveal an intellect of enormous capacity and concern, yet one that rébelled against the cant of Marxism and the banality of the contemporary "culture industry." Furthermore, Adorno's critique of late-capitalism is still unsurpassed in its relating issues of art and aesthetics to issues of politics and economics.

While the world intellectual community surges towards de- Marxification, what will be the fate of the works of T.W. Adorno? While the post-structuralists and other theoreticians of the post-modern have basically ignored him, other, more astute observers, see Adorno's crit- ical theory as being more relevant then ever. Willem van Reijen presents a succinct, European perspective on the development of Adorno's works and, along with the contributions by Peter Schiefelbein and Hans-Martin Lohmann, shows how Adorno has carved out an urgent and relevant place in the world for the continuing "practice" of critical philosophy.