German poet, playwright, and theatrical reformer, one of the most prominent figures in the 20th-century theatre. In his works Brecht have been concerned with encouraging audiences to think rather than identify, using in this process alienation effects.

Brecht´s success started with TROMMELN IN DER NACHT (1919) and continued with DIE DREIGROSCHENOPER after John Gay´s The Beggar´s Opera, which he made with composer Kurt Weil.

In the 1930s Brecht´s books and plays were banned in Germany, and he went into exile, first to Finland, where he lived in Iitti in Villa Marlebäck as a guest of Finnish author Hella Wuolijoki, writing with her play HERR PUNTILA UND SEIN KNECHT MATTI (1940) and making her jealous because rumours of affairs with other women. From Finland Brecht continued to the United States, where he was accused of unamerican activities.

After 15 years of exile Brecht returned to Germany in 1948 and spend a year in Zürich working on Sophocles Antigone (transl. by Friedrich Hölderin) and on his major theoretical work A Little Organum for the Theatre. After Zürich Brech moved in 1949 to Berlin where he founded his own Marxist theater Berliner Ensemble. In 1955 Brecht received the Stalin Peace Prize. His works have been translated into 42 languages and sold over 70 volumes.

SEE ALSO:  Bertold Brecht/Kurt Weil's Alabama Song (Whisky Bar), performed by The Doors

Selected works:

• BAAL, 1918
• TROMMELN IN DER NACHT, 1919 - DRUMS IN THE NIGHT
• HAUSPOSTILLE, 1927 - A MANUAL OF PIETY
• MANN IST MANN, 1927
• DIE DREIGROSCHENOPER, 1928   - THREEPENNY OPERA -  film1931, dir. by G.W. Pabst; film 1963, dir. by Wolfgang Staudte
• AUFSTIEG UND FALL DER STADT MAHAGONNY, 1929   RIDE AND FALL OF THE CITY MAHAGONNY
• DIE HEILIGE JOHANNA DER SCHLACHTHÖFE, 1929-30
• LEBENS DES GALILEI, 1938-39  - THE LIFE OF GALILEO
• DER GUTE MENCH VON SEZUAN, 1938-39  - THE GOOD WOMAN OF SETZUAN
• MUTTER COURAGE UND IHRE KINDER, 1939  - MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN - film 1961, Berliner Ensemble, dir. by Peter Palitzsch & Manfred Wekwerth
• HERR PUNTILA UND SEIN KNECHT MATTI, 1940  - HERR PUNTILA AND HIS MAN MATTI - film 1957, dir. by Alberto Cavalcanti ; film 1979, dir. by Ralf Långbacka
• LEBEN DES GALILEI, 1943 - film Galileo 1974, dir. by Joseph Losey
• SCHWEYK IM ZWEITEN WELTKRIEG, 1944
• DER KAUKASISCHE KREIDENKREIS, 1944-45  - THE CAICASIAN CHAL CIRCLE
• KLEINES ORGANON FÜR DAS THEATER, 1949 - A LITTLE ORGANUM FOR THE THEATRE
• KALENDERGESCHICHTEN, 1949
• DER AUFHALTSAME AUFSTIEG DES ARTURO UI, prod. 1958 - THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI
• GESCHICHTEN VOM HERRN KEUNER, 1958
• FLÜHTLINGSGESPRÄCHE, 1961
• ARBEITSJOURNAL, 1973
• GROSSE KOMMENTIERTE BERLINER UND FRANKFURTER AUSGABE, BRIEFE 3, 1998
• ÜBER VERFÜRUNG, EROTISCHE GEDICHTE MIT RADIERUNGEN VON PABLO PICASSO, 1998

Compiled by Kuusankoski Public Library, Finland (© 1997) and René Märtin (© 1998-2001).