Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht

Born:

February 10, 1898, Augsburg, Germany

Died:

August 14, 1956, East Berlin, East Germany

Nationality:

German

Profession(s):

Playwright, Poet, Theatre Director, Marxist Theoretician

Early Life and Education

• Born into a middle-class family in Augsburg.
• Attended the Augsburg Realgymnasium, displaying early writing talent.
• Studied medicine and philosophy at the University of Munich.
• Served in the German army during World War I.

Career and Major Achievements

• Early plays established him as a prominent voice in Weimar Germany.
• Developed the theory and practice of 'epic theatre' (Verfremdungseffekt).
• Exiled from Nazi Germany in 1933.
• Lived in Scandinavia and the United States during his exile.
• Returned to East Berlin in 1949 and founded the Berliner Ensemble.
• Directed and adapted numerous plays, including his own works.
• One significant example of Brecht's poetic work is the "ballade kinderkreuzzug Bertolt Brecht biography" often uses as a case study in his unique writing style.

Notable Works

• Plays:
  • Baal (1918)
  • The Threepenny Opera (1928)
  • Mother Courage and Her Children (1939)
  • Life of Galileo (1943)
  • The Good Person of Szechwan (1943)
  • The Caucasian Chalk Circle (1948)
• Poems:
  • Hauspostille (1927)
  • Poems in Exile
• Theoretical Writings:
  • A Short Organum for the Theatre (1948)

Legacy and Impact

Bertolt Brecht's innovative approach to theatre, characterized by its political engagement and distancing techniques, profoundly influenced 20th-century drama and continues to shape contemporary theatrical practice. He remains one of the most important playwrights of the modern era.

Berliner Ensemble Productions (Selection)

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