Biography Essay

Bertolt Brecht is one of the great names not only of twentieth-century German literature but of modern world literature. His contribution, though varied—it includes lyrical, narrative, dramatic, and theoretical works—has a distinct "Brechtian" quality throughout. It has made a virtue out of provocation in the course of Germany's troubled history from World War I to World War II and beyond. But, although Brecht became increasingly committed to analyses of the sociopolitical scene, he was not just a writer for the day, nor did he put topical subjects above artistic considerations. With a keen eye for hypocrisy and injustice, he addressed fundamental issues of humanity with the fervor of a rebellious idealist and the poetic sensitivity of a great artist of the word. Long a figure of ideological controversy, Brecht has emerged as a classic, and he continues to challenge successive generations to...