Brecht Sourcebook [Paperback]

Carol Martin (Editor), Henry Bial (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0415200431 | ISBN-13: 978-0415200431 | Edition: 1

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.
Contributors include: Werner Hecht, Mordecai Gorelik, Eric Bentley, Jean-Paul Sartre, Kurt Weill, Ernst Bloch, Darko Suvin, Carl Weber, Paul Dessau, Denis Calandra, W. Stuart McDowell, Ernst Schmacher, Hans-Joachim Bunge, Martin Esslin, Artuto Lazzari, Tadashi Uchino, Diana Taylor, Elin Diamond, and Lee Baxandall.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'There is no doubt that this book will prove a valuable companion to Brecht's plays and affords an important re-evaluation of his work. It is no 'coffee table book', but a serious anthology for those anxious to probe the minds of some of the great thinkers amongst Brecht's contemporaries.' - Amateur Stage

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. Henry Bial is an Instructor of Drama at New York University. He is currently writing his dissertation on Jewish culture in American Theatre, Film and Television.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (February 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415200431
• ISBN-13: 978-0415200431
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,897,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Henry Bial is a professor of theater at the University of Kansas, where he also serves as Chair of the Department of American Studies. He holds a PhD in Performance Studies from New York University and a BA in Folklore and Mythology from Harvard University.

In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Henry has worked in a variety of capacities -- director, performer, designer, playwright, dramaturg, sound and lighting operator -- in university and professional theatres in New York, Kansas City, Boston, Minneapolis, and Albuquerque. A proud member of the Buran Theatre Company, he was last seen on stage as The Man in the Purple Suit in The House of Fitzcarraldo.

Henry is President-Elect of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), a comprehensive non-profit professional membership organization. Founded in 1986, ATHE serves the interests of its diverse individual and organizational members, including college and university theatre departments and administrators, educators, graduate students, and theatre practitioners. The Association's web site is www.athe.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Demystifying the Complex, June 8, 2000

By 

Jeffrey Anbinder "Beeeej" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brecht Sourcebook (Paperback)

For me, like many in the "mainstream," my first taste of Brecht was "The Threepenny Opera." I was lucky enough to be in a theatre class taught by a very sharp and open-minded professor who allowed me to gain a better understanding of the work by writing (and "casting") a film script based on it, instead of the usual critical paper.

But the complexities of Brecht have remained difficult for me to crack, and I was delighted to find this Sourcebook. Martin and Bial, the editors, have compiled a powerful selection of criticism, including translations of a couple of Brecht's own essays.

Sartre's piece on looking beyond bourgeouis theatre found its mark for me and opened my eyes about conventions and assumptions. Kurt Weill on musical theatre provided me with new understanding on his intentions in parting ways with easy tradition.

But it was particularly the section on Brecht interpreted abroad that enlightened me to his enormous influence as a writer and director. Tadashi Uchino skillfully gets at how a theatrical culture as drastically different as Japan's can adopt and adapt external viewpoints to expand its own horizons; and editor Carol Martin brings great insight to Brecht's early revolutionary views on alienation in Chinese theatre as they relate to feminism.

I don't pretend to be an authority on Brecht after reading this sourcebook (though I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night). But those looking to understand his work and his views better, particularly those who already have respect for his work and his lasting influence, will find the book quite useful.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Introduction to Brecht, September 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Brecht Sourcebook (Worlds of Performance) (Hardcover)

This book brings together Brecht's aesthetic theories, the practice of his theories, and the various ways he has been intrepreted abroad. The essays are readable and are by Brecht, practitioners, and scholars.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Part of it is useful., October 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Brecht Sourcebook (Worlds of Performance) (Hardcover)

I agree that part of the book is useful for newcomers: essays of Brechts own, and key papers in Brecht studies. But the third part can be improved upon. Here the criteria for selection take a nose dive: geological distribution becomes priority number 1 and the editors only strive to keep a balance regardless of the quality of the paper. Martin's essay is especially ill informed and hopelessly outdated. Why not use something by Antony Tatlow, the leading authority?

Readers should also be aware that the selection here seems to be limited to articles that appeared in past TDR. Translate: you will only get a partial view of the Brecht Studies through a North American lense. The third part just fails to balance this "prejudice" out.