Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht

The famous playwright commonly known as Bertolt Brecht was born in 1898 in a town in Germany called Augsburg.  After serving as a medical orderly in the First World War and appalled by the effects of the war, he went first to Munich and then to Berlin in pursuit of a career in the theatre. He was forced to flee Germany in 1933 after the Nazis came into power. 

Bertolt Brecht, 1948

"Art is not a mirror with which to reflect reality but a hammer with which to shape it."

"Hungry man, reach for 

the book: it is a weapon."

In 1941 Brecht chose to become a resident of the USA but then returned to Europe 5 years later after appearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee. The committee was not just against communism but also targeted intellectuals. By the time of his death in 1956, Brecht had established the Berliner Ensemble and was regarded as one of the greatest theatrical practitioners.

As an artist, Brecht was influenced by a diverse range of writers and practitioners including Chinese theatre and Karl Marx. The turmoil of the times through which Brecht lived gave him a strong political voice. The opposition he faced is testament to the fact that he had the courage to express his personal voice in the world of the theatre. He also had an original and inspired talent to bring out a dynamic theatrical style to express his views.