Brecht in Context: Comparative Approaches

Description

New edition, revised for the centenary of Brecht's birth, containing additional updated material In this classic study, John Willett sets in context not only Brecht the theatre practitioner but Brecht the writer and man of his time. Through chapters on Brecht's relationships and attitudes to contemporary politics, English and American literature, Expressionism, music, art and cinema, as well as to such figures as Auden, Kipling and Piscator, the book presents a detailed and wide-ranging account of one of the most significant men of this century. "An outstanding introduction to its subject… will immeasurably enrich Brechtians young and old, especially those who think they know it all" (Times Educational Supplement); "Economical, witty and unpretentious in a way that Brecht would have liked, but immensely well-informed and thoroughly documented, seems certain to become required reading for anyone seriously interested in the dramatist" (London Review of Books); "An extraordinarily rich volume, which succeeds in being packed but uncrowded" (New Statesman) Cover Half-title Series Title Copyright Contents Preface 1 An Englishman looks at Brecht 2 Anglo-American forays 3 The case of Kipling 4 The case of Auden 5 The role of Elisabeth Hauptmann 6 Brecht and Expressionism 7 Brecht and Piscator 8 Brecht and the motion pictures 9 Brecht and the visual arts 10 Brecht and the musicians 11 The changing role of politics 12 Two political excursions a: Brecht, Stalin and Hannah Arendt b: Brecht, Alienation and Karl Marx 13 After-notes a: Notes on performances 1945-1960 b: Notes on meetings 1956-1973 c: Some factors in translating Brecht 1967 d: Brecht for the media 1981-82 Notes Notes on sources Index