Shadowtime is an opera based on the work and life of the German philosopher, essayist, and cultural critic Walter Benjamin. The libretto by Bernstein was written for the internationally renowned composer Brian Ferneyhough. The opera had its premier at the Munich Biennale in 2004 and has been performed in Paris and other German cities. In July of 2005, the opera will be performed by The Lincoln Center in New York City, at which time the published libretto will be featured.

Charles Bernstein is one of the most noted poets of contemporary American literature. His books include Islets/Irritations, The Sophist, Dark City (which will be reprinted by Green Integer in 2006), With Strings, and a collection of selected poems, Republics of Reality: 1975–1995 (published by Sun & Moon Press and available through Green Integer). He is also acclaimed for his critical essays, which include Content's Dream (Sun & Moon Press, now available from Northwestern University Press) and A Poetics (Harvard University Press), and, in addition, a collection of essays and poems, My Way: Speeches and Poems. Formerly the David Gray Professor of Poetry and Letters at the State University of New York, Buffalo, Bernstein is now a professor of literature at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in New York City.