Brecht Sourcebook

Worlds of Performance

by Carol Martin (Editor), Henry Bial (Editor)

Bertolt Brecht is one of the most prolific and influential writer-directors of the twentieth century. This fascinating anthology brings together in one volume many of the most important articles written about Brecht between 1957 and 1997. The collection explores a wide range of viewpoints about Brecht's theatre theories and practice, as well as including three plays not otherwise available in English: The Beggar or The Dead Dog, Baden Lehrstuck and The Seven Deadly Sins of the Lower Middle Class.

Editors Martin and Bial have brought together a unique compendium which covers all the key areas including:

*the development of Brecht's aesthetic theories
*the relationship of Epic theatre to orthodox dramatic theatre
*Brecht's collaboration with Kurt Weill, Paul Dessau and Max Frisch
*Brecht's influence on a variety of cultures and contexts including England, Italy , Moscow and Japan.

Together these essays are an ideal companion to Brecht's plays, and provide an invaluable reconsideration of Brecht's work.

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Carol Martin is Associate Professor of Drama at New York University. Her books include Dance Marathons and A Sourcebook of Feminist Theatre and Performance.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of the actual performed plays of Brecht, but the character dialog and ideologies he explores through them are nothing more than amazing. I've always been able to find some sentence or two from one of Brecht's work which seems to encapsulate hours of thinking for me - phrasing things to be best understood seems to be an epic accomplishment of his work (in my opinion). This book collects information, analysis, works, and essays of and on Brecht's work. Its great as an introduction to his works - though i think the reader has to be more familiar with the world he lived in and the literary world as well to fully appreciate or understand everything in it.

I admit i only read about half of it, but i found it a great reference book - something i would go back to time and time again.