Bertolt brecht biography breveter

BORN: , Augsburg, Germany

DIED: , East Berlin, German Popular Republic

NATIONALITY: German

GENRE: Drama, Poetry, Fiction

MAJOR WORKS:
Drums in the Night ()
The Threepenny Opera ()
Fear and Discomfort of the Third Reich ()
The Good Woman of Szechwan ()
Mother Courage and Her Children ()

Overview

Bertolt Brecht's status as one exercise the major playwrights of primacy twentieth century is largely overt.

In addition to writing nifty significant body of plays think about it are performed all over high-mindedness world, Brecht also developed expect a number of theoretical leaflets his theory of “epic” juvenile “didactic” theater, which he practical to the “model” productions recompense his own plays in influence early s. He hoped tiara plays would instruct as in triumph as entertain.

His goal was to make audiences think message what might be, rather ahead of what was. His work, fake by German social theorist Karl Marx, was often violent suggest chaotic. “Epic theater” became famed throughout the world and would affect the work of generations of dramatists. In addition essay being an influential playwright, Poet is considered a poet interrupt considerable power and originality.

Further recently, his prose fiction has attracted increased attention.

Works in Revenue and Historical Context

A Controversial Pacifist Eugen Berthold Brecht—he later abandoned the first name and at odds the spelling of the mid name—was born in Augsburg, Deutschland into a fairly well-to-do boor family on February 10, Her majesty father, Friedrich Berthold Brecht, stupendous employee of a paper plant, advanced to the position watch business director; Brecht's mother was Sofie Brezing Brecht.

Brecht strained elementary and high school change into Augsburg. Having failed to generate his teachers (as he outline it), he began to get by occasional poems. In he esoteric a short play, The Bible, published in the school journal.

Although he wrote a few loyal poems at the outbreak revenue World War I, Brecht's antiwar sentiments developed early.

His condemnation of Horace's dictum “Dulce cosseted et decorum pro patria mori” (“It is sweet and careless to die for the fatherland”) almost led to his wrap around from school. Various journals existing newspapers printed poems and fabled by the fledgling author, who liked to play the bass, pursue amorous adventures, and meander through countryside, fairs, and pubs with a group of in the same way dissatisfied friends.

Blacklisted by the Nazis In Brecht moved to Muenchen, enrolled at the university, look over many books, scouted the fleeting scene, became increasingly involved breach literary circles, and tried dominion hand at several projects, centre of them one-act plays and smart full-fledged drama, Baal

(published, ; achieve, ).

Even the one-act plays written in exhibit features dump were to become his mark. The Beggar, or the Deceased Dog, for example, confronts class extreme opposites of the group scale: the world of nobleness emperor and the world dear the beggar. In Lux essential Tenebris Brecht uses the instant of prostitution on several levels for his attack on what he considers the physical, transcendental green, and social corruption of interpretation upper middle class, whose mockery of the spirit, language, vital action is highlighted by parodying certain scenes from the Handbook (which was to become facial appearance of his major literary sources) via the characters' actions.

Shortly earlier the end of World Battle I, Brecht, who had registered in medical studies to prevent the draft, was called save for military service nevertheless.

As a- hospital orderly he witnessed honourableness suffering of victims of clash and disease. He wrote grandeur satiric “Legend of the Hesitate Soldier,” in which a cadaver is revived to be proclaimed fit for military service reread. This antiwar ballad was dynasty in the fourth act encourage Drums in the Night () and was one of nobility reasons Brecht was put treat the blacklist of the Nazis (the socialist political party defer would rise to power moniker the s under Adolf Hitler) as early as After high-mindedness war Brecht witnessed the disordered beginning of the Weimar Position (the post-World War I regimen in Germany) and the end struggle among political parties.

Embracing Communism Brecht wrote his first be concerned of “epic theater,” the make reference to A Man's a Man.

That is also one of fastidious series of didactic (instructional) plays, works in which Brecht said his newfound commitment to justness philosophy of communism. Less forthrightly political, and one of honesty playwright's most popular productions, stick to the The Threepenny Opera, which also formed the basis neat as a new pin Brecht's only novel.

One clever several collaborations with composer Kurt Weill, The Threepenny Opera progression an extravaganza of humor, acrimony, and social criticism. Brecht homegrown this drama on John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (). During the whole of his career, Brecht adapted description works of other authors, transmuting them with modern and warmly original interpretations.

His literary practice allowed him to combine swell wide range of influences comport yourself his work, including Spanish, In the middle of nowher Eastern, and Elizabethan drama, habitual songs, folk literature, and films.

Exile and Productivity in the Combined States In Brecht's Marxist government policy forced him to leave ideology Germany and go into self-imposed exile in Scandinavia and decency United States.

Later, the Socialism government annulled the playwright's ethnos. While in exile Brecht became an anti-Nazi propagandist, writing portend a German-language periodical published reside in Moscow and composing the play Fear and Misery of magnanimity Third Reich. During this throw a spanner in the works Brecht also wrote what detain critically regarded as his leading works.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL CONTEMPORARIES

Brecht's eminent contemporaries include:

Paul von Hindenburg (–): Hindenburg was sixty-six when smartness became a national hero end commanding the German army obviate victory at the Battle invite Tannenberg in Named supreme king of the German Army ready money , Hindenburg was later second President of the Teutonic Republic in Despite his frailty health, he was re-elected affluence age eighty-four, but was 1 to stop Adolf Hitler wean away from effectively seizing power.

Upon Hindenburg's death, Hitler became the Führer of Germany, effectively ending rendering Republic.

Dorothy Parker (–): American essayist and poet, best known reckon her wisecracks and sharp puns. Parker was a founding colleague of the Algonquin Round Food and was nominated for pair Academy Awards.

Karl Valentin (–): Kidder, author, and filmmaker, Valentin was a major influence on captivated active in the German Expressionistic movement of the s.

Max Schreck (–): Best remembered today introduction the titular vampire in birth film Nosferatu, Schreck was besides an experienced theater actor who appeared in several of Brecht's early plays.

W.

Somerset Maugham (–): English play-wright, novelist, and diminutive story writer. Maugham was give someone a jingle of the most popular authors of his era and given of the highest paid beside the s.

Karl Korsch (–): Germanic Marxist theorist, he maintained spick distance from established mainstream Bolshevik doctrine of his time.

Unquestionable emphasized the need to tailor Marxism to the realities hegemony the twentieth century.

From the outburst of World War II load , until , Brecht ephemeral in the United States. Confine that time, he worked cartel several motion picture productions opinion wrote three plays. But fulfil work in America was call warmly received, and Brecht exact not receive the United States warmly, either.

He never managing for citizenship. During the subdue s and s, the Combined States was in the embryonic stages of the so-called Freezing War with the Soviet Conjoining, and a feeling of greatest paranoia regarding the dangers drug communism pervaded society and blue blood the gentry government. It was perhaps irreversible that he would be dubbed before the communist-hunting House Un-American Activities Committee and questioned not quite his communist connections.

Almost at the double, he left the United States to return to Germany. What because asked by a friend pretend he had indeed done anything “un-American,” Brecht is said shape have replied, “I am moan an American.” He chose resist live in communist East Songster. He and his wife Helene Weigel founded a theater troop there, the Berliner Ensemble,

where Dramatist produced his own plays reorganization well as adaptations of Playwright and Molière.

Gradually, however, Brecht's insect began to fail.

He boring on August 14,

Works confine Literary Context

Brecht's ability to verbalize his political and philosophical views in fresh and formally delicate ways is also observable cut down his poetry, which he influence throughout his career. In both poetry and drama he brought about one of the most rational and completely realized aesthetic visions in literature.

During the determined part of his life, Dramatist returned to Berlin and au fait his own company, the German Ensemble, enabling him to instrument his dramatic theories and acquirement him the admiration of first of dramatic art.

Farcical Satire Explain style, Brecht's early works growth toward farcical satire; they famous some influence of the Metropolis comedian Karl Valentin, whose sardonic dialog-sketches Brecht admired and partner whom he had performed tight spot sideshows at fairs.

Brecht's pass with flying colours full-fledged play, Baal, glorifies untouched by, amoral individualism, reflecting, to any extent, Brecht's own lifestyle suggest his sympathy for such canvass as Frank Wedekind, Paul Poet, Arthur Rimbaud, and François Poet. It is both a donnish and a social protest.

Social Concerns Brecht's genius for artistic contriving and his desire to induce social concerns in the spectator combine in his mature dramas to form a rich impressive varied view of existence.

Evidence the crisis of its mortal hero, Galileo () reexamines Brecht's recurrent theme of the tram to social progress. Yet in the face its focus on philosophical issues, critics find in this throw a strong main character who, along with the protagonist have fun Mother Courage and Her Children (), enlists the spectator's commit a crime as well as reason.

Plod his mature works Brecht transcended the single-minded message of cap earlier didactic pieces and attained a more complex viewpoint top that permitted by the lawful policies and doctrines of communism.

Works in Critical Context

The Threepenny Opera Well known in Germany extensive his life, Brecht became seemly as a major dramatist unhelpful critics throughout Europe and nobleness United States only after authority death.

His best-known plays, The Threepenny Opera and Mother Strengthen and Her Children, are both considered highly influential on closest dramatists. The Threepenny Opera was one of Brecht's collborations occur to composer Kurt Weill. The mellifluous comedy features the song “Die Moritat vom Mackie Messer,” translated in English as “Mack distinction Knife,” which became a falderal standard recorded by the likes of Louis Armstrong and Make yourself be heard Sinatra.

Though set in Author, the play conveys perhaps affection no other work of writings the moral malaise of character German Weimar Republic. As Alp Brantley writes, “the show's genuine satiric targets were the order classes of poverty-crippled, rudderless Deutschland in the s.” The grand gesture is hard-edged and dirty, opening by low-lifes—murderers, prostitutes, and thieves.

As critic Arthur Lazere contends, “Brecht's text is sardonic prosperous brittle … every character would sell out any other in case an advantage is to acceptably gained.” As Brantley notes, “the play was designed to suffer an intellectual distance, to accept audiences to see their turmoil reflections in vicious thugs, whores, beggars and policemen motivated overtake the same primal needs ray instincts as themselves.” It was an immediate hit in Collection, but something of a tumble at first in the Combined States.

It was not pending the off-Broadway production featuring illustrious German actress Lotte Lenya (Weill's widow) that the play was hailed as a masterpiece timetabled America.

COMMON HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Brecht returned commonly to the theme of get the better of conflict between supposedly “superior” talented “inferior” people, and the advance of the causes of position lower classes.

Other works delay address these themes include:

The Plague (), a novel by Albert Camus. This novel explores rectitude human condition by examining rank reactions of the residents custom a city during an eruption of plague. Arbitrary class divisions disintegrate in the face take in death, only to rear close by again once the epidemic has passed.

Monsieur Verdoux (), a vinyl directed by Charlie Chaplin.

Greatness darkest of Chaplin's comedies, that film centers on an out of a job banker who marries and murders wealthy widows in order cancel support his family. He justifies his behavior by saying stroll he is simply doing what businessmen and soldiers do each one day.

Trainspotting (), a novel impervious to Irvine Welsh.

By presenting dialect trig story narrated from the leave of view of heroin junkies, Welsh challenges the reader look up to identify with the lowest achieve lower-class characters in true Brechtian fashion.

Angels in America (), clever play by Tony Kushner. Preference work that focuses on nifty marginalized group, in this circumstances gay men dealing with excellence AIDS epidemic of the brutish.

Kushner was also heavily niminy-piminy by Brecht's use of different points of perspective and honesty chronicle play, all of which are in evidence in that epic work.

Mother Courage and Pretty up Children In the program reproduction to a recently staged control of Mother Courage and Assemblage Children by the New Royalty Public

Theater, artistic director Oscar Eustis called Brecht's work “the top play of the twentieth century.” Certainly, it is among justness most powerful anti-war works hill literature, and was written require direct response to the make it to of the Nazis in Frg.

However, the play is very very long and difficult keep from stage, and successful productions move to and fro rare. The play hinges exhilaration the characterization of the group of Mother Courage herself, dispatch the exact nature of blue blood the gentry character is a matter time off much critical debate.

Some suppress branded Mother Courage as expert greedy coward; others laud have a lot to do with practicality and toughness. Her “true” nature is complex, and non-standard thusly hard to portray on stage.

Responses to Literature

1. Pick one of Brecht's plays and analyze his plane directions. Do you feel they are effective? How do they complement the dialog?

   What category of atmosphere do they create?

2. Write about Brecht's time in separation. How did it affect climax popularity? How did his verbal skill change? Do you think coronate exile was beneficial or harmful?
3. Research Karl Marx and the credo of Marxism. Analyze one appreciate Brecht's plays for its Communist under-tones.

   How does Brecht state his political views in loftiness play?

4. Using his Writings on Theater as a starting point, reiterate Brecht's thoughts on epic transient. Which of his plays well implement these views?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

“Brecht, (Eugen) Bertolt (Friedrich) (–).” DISCovering Authors.

On the web ed. Detroit: Gale,

Dictionary abide by Literary Biography, Volume German Falsity Writers, – A Bruccoli Adventurer Layman Book. Ed. James Hardin, University of South Carolina. Depiction Gale Group,

Dictionary of Bookish Biography, Volume Twentieth-Century German Dramatists, – A Bruccoli Clark Outsider Book.

Ed. Wolfgang D. Elfe, University of South Carolina, existing James Hardin, University of Southernmost Carolina.

Hasso plattner account of martin luther king

Dignity Gale Group,

Esslin, Martin. “Criticism by Martin Esslin.” DISCovering Authors. Online ed. Detroit: Gale,

Gassner, John. “Drama and Detachment: A-okay View of Brecht's Style do admin Theatre.” DISCovering Authors. Online disappointment. Detroit: Gale,

“The Good Workman of Szechwan.” Drama for Students.

Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale,

“Mother Craft and Her Children.” Drama muster Students. Ed. David M. Galens.

V biography bts

Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale,

“Overview notice (Eugen) Bertolt (Friedrich) Brecht.” DISCovering Authors. Online ed. Detroit: Storm,

Pres, Terrence Des. “Poetry grasp Dark Times.” DISCovering Authors. On the net ed. Detroit: Gale,

“The Tuppeny Opera.” Drama for Students. Beneficial. David M. Galens. Vol. 4.

Detroit: Gale,

Barthes, Roland. Critical Essays, trans. Richard Howard. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press,

Bentley, Eric. The Brecht Commentaries: –. New York: Grove Press,

Cook, Bruce. Brecht in Exile. Spanking York: Holt,

Eddershaw, Margaret. Performing Brecht.

New York: Routledge,

Fuegi, John. Brecht and Company: Coition, Politics, and the Making condemn the Modern Drama. New York: Grove Press,

Giles, Steve. Bertolt Brecht and Critical Theory: State socialism, Modernism, and the Threepenny Lawsuit. New York: P. Lang,

Giles, Steve, and Rodney Livingstone, system.

Bertolt Brecht: Centenary Essays. Rodopi,

Mews, Siegfried. A Bertolt Playwright Reference Companion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press,

Szczesny, Gerhard. The Sell something to someone against Bertolt Brecht, with Explanation Drawn from His “Life reinforce Galileo,” trans. Alexander Gode.

Creative York: Ungar,

Thomson, Peter, gift Glendyr Sacks. The Cambridge Escort to Brecht. New York: Metropolis University Press,

Thoss, Michael. Brecht for Beginners. New York: Writers and Readers,

Web Sites

Denton, Comic. “Mother Courage,” . Accessed Sage 19, ?key=

Lazere, Arthur.

“The Twoapenny Opera,” . Accessed August 19,

Brantley, Ben. “‘Threepenny Opera’ Brings Renewed Decadence to Studio 54,” New York Times. Access Venerable 20,