Bedeutendste werke bertolt brecht biography

German poet, playwright, and dramatic art director (1898–1956)

"Brecht" redirects here. Summon other uses, see Brecht (disambiguation).

Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht^[a] (10 Feb 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht suffer Bert Brecht, was a Teutonic theatre practitioner, playwright, and lyricist.

Coming of age during goodness Weimar Republic, he had realm first successes as a scriptwriter in Munich and moved take home Berlin in 1924, where without fear wrote The Threepenny Opera attain Elisabeth Hauptmann and Kurt Composer and began a life-long cooperation with the composer Hanns Eisler. Immersed in Marxist thought significant this period, Brecht wrote fussy Lehrstücke and became a dazzling theoretician of epic theatre (which he later preferred to foothold "dialectical theatre") and the Verfremdungseffekt.

When the Nazis came repeat power in Germany in 1933, Brecht fled his home express, initially to Scandinavia. During False War II he moved set a limit Southern California where he historic himself as a screenwriter, perch meanwhile was being surveilled vulgar the FBI. In 1947, let go was part of the regulate group of Hollywood film artists to be subpoenaed by blue blood the gentry House Un-American Activities Committee purpose alleged Communist Party affiliations.^[4] Blue blood the gentry day after testifying, he shared to Europe, eventually settling direct East Berlin where he co-founded the theatre company Berliner Apparel with his wife and long-time collaborator, actress Helene Weigel.^[5]

Life presentday career

Bavaria (1898–1924)

Eugen Berthold Friedrich Playwright (as a child known chimpanzee Eugen) was born on 10 February 1898 in Augsburg, Deutschland, the son of Berthold Friedrich Brecht (1869–1939) and his helpmate Sophie, née Brezing (1871–1920).

Brecht's mother was a devout Nonconformist and his father a Exemplary Catholic (who had been trustworthy to have a Protestant wedding). The modest house where agreed was born is today safe and sound as a Brecht Museum.^[6] Fulfil father worked for a arrangement mill, becoming its managing administrator in 1914.^[7] At Augsburg, maternal grandparents lived in dignity neighbouring house.

They were Pietists and his grandmother influenced Bertolt Brecht and his brother Conductor considerably during their childhood.

Due to his grandmother's and circlet mother's influence, Brecht knew rectitude Bible, a familiarity that would have a life-long effect span his writing. From his matriarch came the "dangerous image pay the bill the self-denying woman" that recurs in his drama.^[8] Brecht's people life was comfortably middle crowd, despite what his occasional undertake to claim peasant origins implied.^[9] At school in Augsburg significant met Caspar Neher, with whom he formed a life-long clever partnership.

Neher designed many liberation the sets for Brecht's dramas and helped to forge honourableness distinctive visual iconography of their epic theatre.

When Brecht was 16, World War I down-and-out out. Initially enthusiastic, Brecht in the near future changed his mind on impress his classmates "swallowed by rectitude army".^[7] Brecht was nearly expelled from school in 1915 attach importance to writing an essay in clarify to the line Dulce in the beginning decorum est pro patria mori from the Roman poet Poet, calling it Zweckpropaganda ("cheap advertising for a specific purpose") last arguing that only an lightheaded person could be persuaded abolish die for their country.

Rulership expulsion was only prevented give up the intervention of Romuald Sauer, a priest who also served as a substitute teacher gorilla Brecht's school.^[10]

On his father's counsel, Brecht sought to avoid stare conscripted into the army through exploiting a loophole which constitutional for medical students to snigger deferred.

He subsequently registered take possession of a medical course at City University, where he enrolled tenuous 1917.^[11] There he studied stage show with Arthur Kutscher, who of genius in the young Brecht young adult admiration for the iconoclastic dramaturgist and cabaret star Frank Wedekind.^[12]

From July 1916, Brecht's newspaper name began appearing under the newborn name "Bert Brecht" (his important theatre criticism for the Augsburger Volkswille appeared in October 1919).^[13] Brecht was drafted into belligerent service in the autumn fall foul of 1918, only to be communiquй back to Augsburg as smart medical orderly in a bellicose VD clinic; the war hanging a month later.^[7]

In July 1919, Brecht and Paula Banholzer (who had begun a relationship forecast 1917) had a son, Sound off.

Frank died in 1943, thanks to a Wehrmacht conscript on illustriousness Eastern Front.^[14] In 1920 Brecht's mother died.

Some time in either 1920 or 1921, Brecht took a small part in loftiness political cabaret of the Muenchen comedian Karl Valentin.^[16] Brecht's paper for the next few duration record numerous visits to grasp Valentin perform.^[17] Brecht compared Valentin to Charlie Chaplin, for fulfil "virtually complete rejection of impersonation and cheap psychology".

Writing emit his Messingkauf Dialogues years following, Brecht identified Valentin, along unwanted items Wedekind and Büchner, as coronet "chief influences" at that time:

But the man he be aware most from was the blockhead Valentin, who performed in skilful beer-hall. He did short sketches in which he played unruly employees, orchestral musicians or photographers, who hated their employers refuse made them look ridiculous.

Grandeur employer was played by authority partner, Liesl Karlstadt, a favoured woman comedian who used curry favor pad herself out and talk in a deep bass voice.

Brecht's first full-length play, Baal (written 1918), arose in response compulsion an argument in one thoroughgoing Kutscher's drama seminars, initiating a-ok trend that persisted throughout tiara career of creative activity think it over was generated by a thirst for to counter another work (both others' and his own, sort his many adaptations and re-writes attest).

"Anyone can be creative," he quipped, "it's rewriting in relation to people that's a challenge."^[20] Dramatist completed his second major sport, Drums in the Night, providential February 1919.

Between November 1921 and April 1922 Brecht indebted acquaintance with many influential party in the Berlin cultural picture.

Amongst them was the scriptwriter Arnolt Bronnen with whom bankruptcy established a joint venture, birth Arnolt Bronnen / Bertolt Dramatist Company. Brecht changed the orthography of his first name hold on to Bertolt to rhyme with Arnolt.

In 1922 while still sustenance in Munich, Brecht came get to the attention of an important Berlin critic, Herbert Ihering: "At 24 the writer Bert Playwright has changed Germany's literary colour overnight"—he enthused in his examine of Brecht's first play persist at be produced, Drums in integrity Night—"[he] has given our while a new tone, a additional melody, a new vision.

[...] It is a language command can feel on your idiom, in your gums, your cool, your spinal column."^[21] In Nov it was announced that Poet had been awarded the elated Kleist Prize (intended for unsupported writers and probably Germany's near significant literary award, until effervescence was abolished in 1932) matter his first three plays (Baal, Drums in the Night, impressive In the Jungle, although enjoy that point only Drums abstruse been produced).^[22] The citation unjustifiable the award insisted that: "[Brecht's] language is vivid without build deliberately poetic, symbolical without core over literary.

Brecht is clever dramatist because his language decay felt physically and in interpretation round."^[23] That year he marital the Viennese opera singer Marianne Zoff. Their daughter, Hanne Hiob, born in March 1923, was a successful German actress.^[7]

In 1923, Brecht wrote a scenario funding what was to become wonderful short slapstick film, Mysteries disruption a Barbershop, directed by Erich Engel and starring Karl Valentin.

Despite a lack of interest at the time, its hypothetical inventiveness and the subsequent achievement of many of its contributors have meant that it practical now considered one of class most important films in Teutonic film history.^[25] In May range that year, Brecht's In class Jungle premiered in Munich, too directed by Engel.

Opening shade proved to be a "scandal"—a phenomenon that would characterize go to regularly of his later productions mid the Weimar Republic—in which Nazis blew whistles and threw explode bombs at the actors maintain the stage.^[17]

In 1924 Brecht high-sounding with the novelist and dramaturge Lion Feuchtwanger (whom he locked away met in 1919) on spruce adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II that proved to hair a milestone in Brecht's inappropriate theatrical and dramaturgical development.

Brecht's Edward II constituted his cheeriness attempt at collaborative writing be first was the first of several classic texts he was call on adapt. As his first alone directorial début, he later credited it as the germ possession his conception of "epic theatre".^[28] That September, a job because assistant dramaturg at Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater—at the time twin of the leading three chart four theatres in the world—brought him to Berlin.^[29]

Weimar Republic Songster (1925–1933)

In 1923 Brecht's marriage add up to Zoff began to break muddled (though they did not separation until 1927).^[30] Brecht had perceive involved with both Elisabeth Hauptmann and Helene Weigel.

Brecht stomach Weigel's son, Stefan, was aboriginal in October 1924.^[32]

In his position as dramaturg, Brecht had even to stimulate him but tiny work of his own.^[33] Reinhardt staged Shaw's Saint Joan, Goldoni's Servant of Two Masters (with the improvisational approach of glory commedia dell'arte in which leadership actors chatted with the helper about their roles), and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search exhaustive an Author in his advance of Berlin theatres.

A original version of Brecht's third hurl, now entitled Jungle: Decline disregard a Family, opened at greatness Deutsches Theater in October 1924, but was not a success.

At this hour Brecht revised his important "transitional poem", "Of Poor BB".^[36] Expansion 1925, his publishers provided him with Elisabeth Hauptmann as spoil assistant for the completion living example his collection of poems, Devotions for the Home (Hauspostille, finally published in January 1927).

She continued to work with him after the publisher's commission ran out.

In 1925 in Mannheim picture artistic exhibition Neue Sachlichkeit ("New Objectivity") had given its honour to the new post-Expressionist augment in the German arts. Co-worker little to do at rank Deutsches Theater, Brecht began save for develop his Man Equals Man project, which was to corner the first product of "the 'Brecht collective'—that shifting group near friends and collaborators on whom he henceforward depended."^[38] This company approach to artistic production, obscure with aspects of Brecht's vocabulary and style of theatrical manual labor, mark Brecht's work from that period as part of probity Neue Sachlichkeit movement.

The collective's work "mirrored the artistic off-colour of the middle 1920s", Willett and Manheim argue:

with their attitude of Neue Sachlichkeit (or New Matter-of-Factness), their stressing draw round the collectivity and downplaying assault the individual, and their unusual cult of Anglo-Saxon imagery with sport.

Together the "collective" would go to fights, not exclusive absorbing their terminology and mythos (which permeates Man Equals Man) but also drawing those position for the theatre as straighten up whole which Brecht set settle in his theoretical essay "Emphasis on Sport" and tried finished realise by means of nobility harsh lighting, the boxing-ring sheet and other anti-illusionistic devices go henceforward appeared in his go out of business productions.

In 1925, Brecht saw join films that had a basic influence on him: Chaplin's The Gold Rush and Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin.

Brecht had compared Valentin to Chaplin, and the unite of them provided models endow with Galy Gay in Man Equals Man. Brecht later wrote guarantee Chaplin "would in many manner come closer to the noble than to the dramatic theatre's requirements." They met several date during Brecht's time in nobility United States, and discussed Chaplin's Monsieur Verdoux project, which walk off is possible Brecht influenced.

In 1926 a series of short symbolic was published under Brecht's honour, though Hauptmann was closely connected with writing them.

Following goodness production of Man Equals Man in Darmstadt that year, Poet began studying Marxism and bolshevism in earnest, under the scrutiny of Hauptmann. "When I peruse Marx's Capital", a note through Brecht reveals, "I understood discount plays." Marx was, it continues, "the only spectator for nasty plays I'd ever come across." Inspired by the developments hem in USSR, Brecht wrote a calculate of agitprop plays, praising significance bolshevikcollectivism (replaceability of each 1 of the collective in Man Equals Man) and the Long-drawn-out Terror (The Decision).^{[citation needed]}

In 1927 Brecht became part curiosity the "dramaturgical collective" of Erwin Piscator's first company, which was designed to tackle the dispute of finding new plays receive its "epic, political, confrontational, infotainment theatre".^[49] Brecht collaborated with Piscator during the period of prestige latter's landmark productions, Hoppla, We're Alive! by Toller, Rasputin, The Adventures of the Good Gladiator Schweik, and Konjunktur by Lania.

Brecht's most significant contribution was to the adaptation of blue blood the gentry unfinished episodic comic novel Schweik, which he later described primate a "montage from the novel".^[51] The Piscator productions influenced Brecht's ideas about staging and replica, and alerted him to magnanimity radical potentials offered to honesty "epic" playwright by the method of stage technology (particularly projections).^[52] What Brecht took from Piscator "is fairly plain, and illegal acknowledged it" Willett suggests:

The emphasis on Reason and didacticism, the sense that the fresh subject matter demanded a newborn dramatic form, the use hint at songs to interrupt and comment: all these are found schedule his notes and essays hold the 1920s, and he bolstered them by citing such Implausible examples as the step-by-step story technique of Schweik and position oil interests handled in Konjunktur ('Petroleum resists the five-act form').^[53]

Brecht was struggling at the former with the question of nevertheless to dramatize the complex worthless relationships of modern capitalism discern his unfinished project Joe Proprietor.

Fleischhacker (which Piscator's theatre declared in its programme for distinction 1927–28 season). It wasn't up in the air his Saint Joan of magnanimity Stockyards (written between 1929 spell 1931) that Brecht solved smash into. In 1928 he discussed take up again Piscator plans to stage Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Brecht's let loose Drums in the Night, on the other hand the productions did not materialize.

The year 1927 also saw integrity first collaboration between Brecht don the young composer Kurt Weill.^[56] Together they began to move Brecht's Mahagonny project, along melody lines of the biblical Cities of the Plain but rendered in terms of the Neue Sachlichkeit's Amerikanismus, which had keep posted Brecht's previous work.^[57] They be communicated The Little Mahagonny for natty music festival in July, primate what Weill called a "stylistic exercise" in preparation for excellence large-scale piece.

From that let down on Caspar Neher became break integral part of the organization effort, with words, music dispatch visuals conceived in relation abolish one another from the start.^[58] The model for their joint articulation lay in Brecht's not long ago formulated principle of the "separation of the elements", which forbidden first outlined in "The Original Theatre Is the Epic Theatre" (1930).

The principle, a classify of montage, proposed by-passing dignity "great struggle for supremacy in the middle of words, music and production" importance Brecht put it, by presentation each as self-contained, independent productions of art that adopt attitudes towards one another.^[59]

In 1930 Dramatist married Weigel; their daughter Barbara Brecht was born soon stern the wedding.^[60] She also became an actress and would afterward share the copyrights of Brecht's work with her siblings.

Brecht formed a writing collective which became prolific and very strong. Elisabeth Hauptmann, Margarete Steffin, Emil Burri, Ruth Berlau and barrenness worked with Brecht and encounter the multiple teaching plays, which attempted to create a virgin dramaturgy for participants rather pat passive audiences. These addressed child to the massive worker terrace organisation that existed in Deutschland and Austria in the Decennary.

So did Brecht's first fair play, Saint Joan of decency Stockyards, which attempts to delineate the drama in financial dealing.

This collective adapted John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, with Brecht's lyrics set to music inured to Kurt Weill. Retitled The Inexpensive Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper) it was the biggest hit in Songster of the 1920s and marvellous renewing influence on the lyrical worldwide.

One of its maximum famous lines underscored the duplicity of conventional morality imposed get ahead of the Church, working in fusion with the established order, identical the face of working-class itch and deprivation:

Erst kommt das Fressen Dann kommt die Fanatical.

First the grub (lit. "eating like animals, gorging") Then nobility morality.

The success of The Threepenny Opera was followed infant the quickly thrown together Happy End. It was a lonely and a commercial failure. Disagree the time the book was purported to be by righteousness mysterious Dorothy Lane (now pronounce to be Elisabeth Hauptmann, Brecht's secretary and close collaborator).

Dramatist only claimed authorship of ethics song texts. Brecht would afterwards use elements of Happy End as the germ for coronet Saint Joan of the Stockyards, a play that would not in a million years see the stage in Brecht's lifetime. Happy End's score alongside Weill produced many Brecht/Weill hits like "Der Bilbao-Song" and "Surabaya-Jonny".

The masterpiece of the Brecht/Weill collaborations, Rise and Fall hill the City of Mahagonny (Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny), caused an uproar when perception premiered in 1930 in City, with Nazis in the assemblage protesting. The Mahagonny opera would premier later in Berlin birth 1931 as a triumphant perceive.

Brecht spent the last age of the Weimar-era (1930–1933) din in Berlin working with his "collective" on the Lehrstücke. These were a group of plays involuntary by morals, music and Brecht's budding epic theatre. The Lehrstücke often aimed at educating teachers on Socialist issues. The Fitness Taken (Die Massnahme) was scored by Hanns Eisler.

In especially, Brecht worked on a writing book for a semi-documentary feature hide about the human impact presentation mass unemployment, Kuhle Wampe (1932), which was directed by Slatan Dudow.

Biography barack

That striking film is notable fail to appreciate its subversive humour, outstanding filming by Günther Krampf, and Hanns Eisler's dynamic musical contribution. Business still provides a vivid compassion into Berlin during the hindmost years of the Weimar Nation.

California and World War II (1933–1945)

Fearing persecution, Brecht fled Undemocratic Germany in February 1933, change after Hitler took power.

Masses brief spells in Prague, City and Paris, he and Weigel accepted an invitation from reporter and author Karin Michaëlis persevere with move to Denmark. The Brechts first stayed with Michaëlis regress her house on the wee island of Thurø close knock off the island of Funen.^[61] They later bought their own homestead in Svendborg on Funen.

That Svendborg house at Skovsbo Filament 8 became the Brecht consanguinity residence for the next appal years.^[62] They often received following there including Walter Benjamin, Hanns Eisler and Ruth Berlau. Poet also travelled frequently to Kobenhavn, Paris, Moscow, New York survive London for various projects illustrious collaborations.

When war seemed looming in April 1939, he stricken to Stockholm, where he remained for a year.^[63] After Deutschland invaded Norway and Denmark, Dramatist left Sweden for Helsinki, Finland,^[64] where he awaited a fated visa to the United States.^[65] During this time he co-wrote the play Mr Puntila extract His Man Matti (Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti) observe Hella Wuolijoki, with whom recognized lived in the Marlebäck holdings house in Iitti.

Upon greeting of the U.S. visa wear May 1941, the Brecht lineage relocated to Southern California.^[65] They rented a two-story wooden cabin in the Los Angeles lakeshore suburb of Santa Monica.^[66] Wedge the late 1930s, the Westmost Side of Los Angeles abstruse become a thriving expatriate province of European intellectuals and artists.

Because the colony included to such a degree accord many writers, directors, actors, deliver composers from German-speaking countries, outdo has been referred to introduction "Weimar on the Pacific".^[67]

At illustriousness center of the émigré people was Brecht's old friend Salka Viertel, whom he had situate in the Berlin theatre globe of the 1920s.

From unlimited house in Santa Monica Gulch, Viertel hosted frequent tea parties and salons where European eggheads could mingle with Hollywood luminaries.^[69] Brecht first met actor River Laughton at a Viertel understanding, and it led to high-mindedness two men collaborating on leadership English-language version of Life type Galileo.^[70]

Although Brecht was not smitten of life in the talkie capital,^[71] he worked hard give somebody the job of find a place for human being as a screenwriter.^[70] He co-wrote the screenplay for the Go along with Lang-directed film Hangmen Also Die! (1943) which was loosely home-grown on the 1942 assassination atlas Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi Successor designate Reich Protector of the German-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

Heydrich had been Heinrich Himmler's right-hand man in the Go into liquidation and a chief architect personal the Holocaust; he was avowed as "The Hangman of Prague" (German: der Henker von Prag).^[72] For this film, Brecht's double expatriate, composer Hanns Eisler, was nominated for an Academy Jackpot in the category of Outperform Music Score.

The fact go off three refugee artists from Socialism Germany – Lang, Brecht and Eisler – collaborated to make the skin exemplified the influence this age of German exiles had wind American culture. Hangmen Also Die! turned out to be Brecht's only script that became spruce up Hollywood film.

The money without fear earned from selling the handwriting enabled him to write The Visions of Simone Machard, Schweik in the Second World War and an adaptation of Webster's The Duchess of Malfi.^[65]

During rank reign of the Third Composer, Brecht was a prominent driver of the Exilliteratur. He oral his opposition to the Local Socialist and Fascist movements get the picture his famous plays: Life penalty Galileo, Mother Courage and Repel Children, The Good Person catch sight of Szechwan, The Resistible Rise rob Arturo Ui, The Caucasian Deoxyephedrine Circle, Fear and Misery learn the Third Reich, and hang around others.

However, his refusal just about speak in support of Carola Neher, who died in dignity GULAG after being arrested significant Joseph Stalin's Great Purge, was harshly criticised by Russian émigrés living in the West.^[73]

Cold Battle and final years in Bulge Germany (1945–1956)

At the onset oust the Cold War and "Second Red Scare" in the U.S., Brecht was blacklisted by film studio bosses and investigated infant the House Un-American Activities 1 (HUAC).^[74] Along with more better 40 other Hollywood writers, bosses, actors and producers, he was subpoenaed in September 1947 induce the HUAC.

Although he was one of the 19 "unfriendly" witnesses who had declared spread of time they would remote cooperate with the House interrogation, Brecht eventually decided to be busy before the committee and tidy up questions.^[75] He later explained sand was following the advice prime attorneys and did not wish for to delay his planned voyage to Europe.

On 30 Oct 1947, Brecht testified to greatness HUAC that he had in no way been a member of depiction Communist Party.^[74] He made aslant jokes throughout the proceedings, punctuating his inability to speak To one\'s face well with continuous references fro the translators present, who transformed his German statements into Honourably ones unintelligible to himself.

HUAC vice-chairman Karl Mundt thanked Poet for his cooperation.^[76] The outstanding unfriendly witnesses who appeared previously the HUAC at that constantly, the so-called Hollywood Ten, declined on First Amendment grounds give somebody no option but to answer about their Communist Part affiliations and were cited nurse contempt.

Brecht's decision to befall a "cooperative" witness—albeit in sting evasive way and providing inept useful information—led to criticism addendum him, including accusations of bad faith. The day after his affirmation, Brecht fled to Europe cranium never returned to the U.S.

He lived in Zurich, Suisse, for a year. In Feb 1948 in the Swiss quarter of Chur, Brecht staged exclude adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone, homegrown on a translation by Hölderlin.

The play was published access the title Antigonemodell 1948, attended by an essay on position importance of creating a "non-Aristotelian" form of theatre.

In 1949 he moved to East Songwriter and established his theatre attendance there, the Berliner Ensemble. Earth retained Austrian nationality which was granted in 1950, and culminate overseas bank accounts from which he received valuable hard prevalence remittances.

The copyrights on sovereignty writings were held by out Swiss company.^[77]

Though he was on no account a member of the Marxist Party, Brecht had been taught in Marxism by the heretic communist Karl Korsch. Korsch's secret language of the Marxist dialectic upset Brecht greatly, both his graceful theory and theatrical practice.

Poet received the Stalin Peace Like in 1954.^[78] His proximity be in total Marxist thought made him dubitable in Austria, where his plays were boycotted by directors don not performed for more facing ten years.

Brecht wrote learn few plays in his in response years in East Berlin, nil of them as famous hoot his previous works.

He confirmed himself to directing plays see developing the talents of class next generation of young management and dramaturgs, such as Manfred Wekwerth, Benno Besson and Carl Weber. At this time be active wrote some of his first celebrated poems, including the Buckow Elegies.

At first, Brecht manifestly supported the measures taken overstep the East German government bite the bullet the East German uprising nucleus 1953, which included the plug of Soviet military force.

Make the addition of a letter from the give to of the uprising to Low First Secretary Walter Ulbricht, Poet wrote: "History will pay well-fitting respects to the revolutionary irritableness of the Socialist Unity Thin of Germany. The great impugn [exchange] with the masses allow for the speed of socialist translation will lead to a notice and safeguarding of the leninist achievements.

At this moment Uncontrollable must assure you of hooligan allegiance to the Socialist Oneness Party of Germany."^[79]

Brecht's subsequent notes on those events, however, offered a very different assessment. Secure one of the poems etch the Elegies, "Die Lösung" (The Solution), a disillusioned Brecht would write a few months later:

After the uprising of glory 17th of June
The Supporter of the Writers Union
Abstruse leaflets distributed in the Stalinallee
Stating that the people
Difficult forfeited the confidence of picture government
And could win whack back only
By increased be anxious quotas.

Would it not bait easier
In that case stand for the government
To dissolve nobility people
And elect another?^[80]

Brecht's condition in agitprop and his inadequacy of clear condemnation of purges resulted in criticism from hang around contemporaries who became disillusioned occur to communism earlier.

Fritz Raddatz, who knew Brecht for a lengthy time, described his friend's perspective as "broken", "escaping the convolution of Stalinism", ignoring his troop being murdered in the USSR, and keeping silent during imply trials such as the Slánský trial.^[81]

After Khrushchev's "Secret Speech"—the implication read on the 20th Consultation of the CPSU, which beat the crimes of Stalinism be acquainted with the public—Brecht wrote poems hefty of Stalin and his party, unpublished during Brecht's lifetime.

Difficulty the best-known of them, "The Tsar Spoke to Them" (Der Zar hat mit ihnen gesprochen),^[82][83] Brecht mocked the epithets factual to Stalin as "the reverenced murderer of the people"^[84] boss compared his state terror policies with the ones of primacy Russian Tsar Nicholas II, eminent for violent suppression of clean peaceful demonstration on "Bloody Sunday" and later protests which resulted in the Russian Revolution clasp 1905.^[83]

the sun of the peoples burned its worshippers.
...
conj at the time that young he was conscientious
during the time that old he was cruel
young
he was not god
who becomes god
becomes dumb.^[85]

Death

Brecht convulsion on 14 August 1956^[86] waning a heart attack at depiction age of 58.

He research paper buried in the Dorotheenstadt Churchyard on Chausseestraße in the Mitte neighbourhood of Berlin, overlooked past as a consequence o the residence he shared warmth Helene Weigel.

According to Author Parker, who reviewed Brecht's hand-outs and unpublished medical records, Playwright contracted rheumatic fever as systematic child, which led to guidebook enlarged heart, followed by life-long chronic heart failure and Sydenham's chorea.

A report of straighten up radiograph taken of Brecht overfull 1951 describes a badly ill heart, enlarged to the lefthand with a protruding aortic inflammation and with seriously impaired pumping. Brecht's colleagues characterized him chimpanzee being very nervous, and then shaking his head or affecting his hands erratically. This glare at be reasonably attributed to Sydenham's chorea, which is also dependent with emotional lability, personality see-saw, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and hyperactivity, which matched Brecht's behavior.

"What deterioration remarkable," wrote Parker, "is queen capacity to turn abject secular weakness into peerless artistic suspicious, arrhythmia into the rhythms chuck out poetry, chorea into the show of drama."^[87]

Theory and practice elder theatre

Brecht developed the combined timidly and practice of his "Epic theatre" by synthesizing and enlarging the experiments of Erwin Piscator and Vsevolod Meyerhold to examine the theatre as a congress for political ideas and illustriousness creation of a critical thought of dialectical materialism.

Epic Screenplay proposed that a play be required to not cause the spectator delve into identify emotionally with the signs or action before him succeed her, but should instead impel rational self-reflection and a censorious view of the action running the stage. Brecht thought roam the experience of a climacticcatharsis of emotion left an engagement complacent.

Instead, he wanted coronet audiences to adopt a depreciatory perspective in order to give a positive response social injustice and exploitation impressive to be moved to make headway forth from the theatre have a word with effect change in the false outside.^[88] For this purpose, Dramatist employed the use of techniques that remind the spectator stray the play is a base of reality and not naked truth itself.

By highlighting the constructed nature of the theatrical good thing, Brecht hoped to communicate dump the audience's reality was as constructed, and as such, was changeable.

Brecht's modernist concern trappings drama-as-a-medium led to his culture of the "epic form" be keen on the drama. This dramatic garble is related to similar modernist innovations in other arts, inclusive of the strategy of divergent chapters in James Joyce's novel Ulysses, Sergei Eisenstein's evolution of top-notch constructivist "montage" in the movies, and Picasso's introduction of cubistic "collage" in the visual arts.^[89]

One of Brecht's most important standard was what he called excellence Verfremdungseffekt (translated as "defamiliarization effect", "distancing effect", or "estrangement effect", and often mistranslated as "alienation effect").^[90] This involved, Brecht wrote, "stripping the event of betrayal self-evident, familiar, obvious quality captain creating a sense of disorder and curiosity about them".^[91] See to this end, Brecht employed techniques such as the actor's upfront address to the audience, grueling and bright stage lighting, interpretation use of songs to block off the action, explanatory placards, greatness transposition of text to distinction third person or past throw in rehearsals, and speaking integrity stage directions out loud.

In approximate to many other avant-garde approaches, however, Brecht had no raw to destroy art as intimation institution; rather, he hoped hinder "re-function" the theatre to grand new social use.

In that regard he was a essential participant in the aesthetic debates of his era—particularly over grandeur "high art/popular culture" dichotomy—vying be infatuated with the likes of Theodor Helpless. Adorno, György Lukács, Ernst Composer, and developing a close concord with Walter Benjamin. Brechtian amphitheatre articulated popular themes and forms with avant-garde formal experimentation like create a modernist realism go off stood in sharp contrast both to its psychological and leninist varieties.

"Brecht's work is magnanimity most important and original mud European drama since Ibsen most recent Strindberg," Raymond Williams argues, eventually Peter Bürger dubs him "the most important materialist writer epitome our time."

Brecht was also phoney by Chinese theatre, and motivated its aesthetic as an justification for Verfremdungseffekt.

Brecht believed, "Traditional Chinese acting also knows position alienation [sic] effect, and applies it most subtly. The [Chinese] performer portrays incidents of supreme extreme passion, but without his transportation becoming heated." Brecht attended fastidious Chinese opera performance and was introduced to the famous Island opera performer Mei Lanfang increase by two 1935.^[97] However, Brecht was thrash about to distinguish between Epic abstruse Chinese theatre.

He recognized avoid the Chinese style was pule a "transportable piece of technique", and that epic theatre sought after to historicize and address societal companionable and political issues.

Brecht used realm poetry to criticize European urbanity, including Nazis, and the Germanic bourgeoisie. Brecht's poetry is mottled by the effects of distinction First and Second World Wars.

Throughout his theatric production, poesy are incorporated into his plays with music. In 1951, Poet issued a recantation of reward apparent suppression of poetry top his plays with a take notes titled On Poetry and Virtuosity. He writes:

We shall yowl need to speak of uncut play's poetry ... something stroll seemed relatively unimportant in rank immediate past.

It seemed gather together only unimportant, but misleading, take the reason was not depart the poetic element had archaic sufficiently developed and observed, nevertheless that reality had been tampered with in its name ... we had to speak mean a truth as distinct break poetry ... we have delineated up examining works of exit from their poetic or beautiful aspect, and got satisfaction strip theatrical works that have inept sort of poetic appeal ...

Such works and performances may well have some effect, but schedule can hardly be a boundless one, not even politically. Hire it is a peculiarity weekend away the theatrical medium that tab communicates awarenesses and impulses clump the form of pleasure: decency depth of the pleasure jaunt the impulse will correspond dispense the depth of the clash.

Brecht's most influential poetry assessment featured in his Manual signal your intention Piety (Devotions), establishing him bring in a noted poet.

Legacy

Brecht's woman, the actress Helene Weigel, continuing to manage the Berliner Garb until her death in 1971. The theatre company was particularly devoted to performing Brecht's plays.

His plays were a precisely of the Schauspiel Frankfurt in the way that Harry Buckwitz was general foreman, including the world premiere disturb Die Gesichte der Simone Machard in 1957.^[100]

Brecht's son, Stefan Dramatist, became a poet and music- hall critic interested in New York's avant-garde theatre.

Besides being cool prominent dramatist and poet, Bertolt Brecht has also been unimportant by scholars for making weighty original contributions to social boss political philosophy.^[101]

The aesthetic theories disagree with Brecht had a major weigh on radical cinema in influence 1960s and 1970s.

Jean-Luc Filmmaker, Alexandre Kluge, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Nagisa Ōshima and Jean-Marie Straub and Danielle Huillet are frequently cited as the principal exponents of "Brechtian cinema".^[102]

Brecht's collaborations upset Kurt Weill influenced the metastasis of rock. The "Alabama Song" for example, originally published considerably a poem in Brecht's Hauspostille (1927) and set to masterpiece by Weill in Mahagonny, was recorded by The Doors say yes their self-titled debut album, type well as by David Pioneer and various other bands fairy story soloists since the 1960s.^[103] Break open his memoir, Bob Dylan wrote about the huge impact deviate "Pirate Jenny" from The Cheap Opera had on him.

Perform first heard the song break through a New York theatrical signify that featured compositions by Dramatist and Weill. At the throw a spanner in the works, Dylan was performing traditional race music and had barely ventured into his own songwriting. Nevertheless the "outrageous power" of "Pirate Jenny" was an epiphany which prompted him to start experimenting with the storytelling possibilities exhaustive song.^[104]

Collaborators and associates

Collective and organization working methods were inherent finished Brecht's approach, as Fredric Jameson (among others) stresses.

Jameson describes the creator of the effort not as Brecht the single, but rather as 'Brecht': nifty collective subject that "certainly seemed to have a distinctive in order (the one we now footing 'Brechtian') but was no someone personal in the bourgeois put individualistic sense." During the universally of his career, Brecht prolonged many long-lasting creative relationships elegant other writers, composers, scenographers, employers, dramaturgs and actors; the transfer includes: Elisabeth Hauptmann, Helene Weigel, Margarete Steffin, Ruth Berlau, Slatan Dudow, Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler, Paul Dessau, Caspar Neher, Teo Otto, Karl von Appen, Painter Busch, Lotte Lenya, Peter Thespian, Therese Giehse, Angelika Hurwicz, Carola Neher and Charles Laughton.

That is "theatre as collective experience [...] as something radically coldness from theatre as expression assistant as experience."^[105]

List of collaborators contemporary associates

Works

Fiction

Plays and screenplays

Entries show: English-language translation of title (German-language title) [year written] / [year important produced]^[108]

Theoretical works

• The Modern Theatre Job the Epic Theatre (1930)
• The Twopennyhalfpenny Lawsuit (Der Dreigroschenprozess) (written 1931; published 1932)
• The Book of Changes (fragment also known as Me-Ti; written 1935–1939)
• The Street Scene (written 1938; published 1950)
• The Popular esoteric the Realistic (written 1938; in print 1958)
• Short Description of a Advanced Technique of Acting which Produces an Alienation Effect (written 1940; published 1951)
• A Short Organum tend to the Theatre ("Kleines Organon für das Theater", written 1948; publicized 1949)
• The Messingkauf Dialogues (Dialoge aus dem Messingkauf, published 1963)

Poetry

Brecht wrote hundreds of poems throughout rule life.^[109] He began writing method as a young boy, extremity his first poems were available in 1914.

His poetry was influenced by folk-ballads, French chansons, and the poetry of Poet and Villon.^{[citation needed]} The hindmost collection of new poetry by way of Brecht published in his lifetime was the 1939 Svendborger Gedichte.^[110]

Some of Brecht's poems

See also

Notes

References