Collected Short Stories [Paperback]

Bertolt Brecht (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

This illuminating collection of 37 crisp, economically turned stories is the first US publicationon the occasion of Brechts centenaryof a volume that originally appeared in England in 1983. Its a welcome display of the great playwright and poet (who was also, like Pirandello and Strindberg, a masterly writer of fiction) in several of his less celebrated roles: as sharp-eyed analyst of social and political life in Berlin between the World Wars (The Monster, The Job); mischievous historical revisionist (Socrates Wounded); and purveyor of commercial detective stories (A Question of Taste). A few stories (Four Men and a Poker Game, Safety First) adumbrate plays to come, and at least onethe unfinished Life Story of the Boxer Samson- Krner''suggests that this truly protean man of letters might well have become an important novelist as well. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing (February 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559704020
• ISBN-13: 978-1559704021
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #909,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another facet of Bertolt Brecht, January 1, 2001

By 

Esther Nebenzahl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Collected Short Stories (Paperback)

The author is best known for his theatrical work and poems, while his narrative prose has been underestimated. This collection of 37 short stories (reprinted for Brecht's centenary) shows another facet of Brecht's literary gift. This is writing with an unpretentious tone and reporting style. The composition of the stories falls into three distinct periods. The Bavarian stories written between 1920 and 1024 treat mainly autobiographical problems of a young man in his early twenties. The Berlin stories written between 1924 and 1933 marks his most intense period in this genre. These stories have a sober and realistic style, thematically dominated by topical issues of the 1920's, aiming to reveal the social behavior of individuals. The third group refers to stories written during Brecht's exile (1937-1940), the first pieces serve as ammunition in the struggle against fascism, and the later ones have a strong socially critical orientation. The reader familiarized with the work of Brecht (poems and plays) will certainly recognize the author's style in these short stories, his determination to represent reality accurately, lack of affectation, anecdotal but with a sense of dread. Quite a treat for a lover of short stories!

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The other facet of Brecht, January 8, 2001

By 

Esther Nebenzahl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Collected Short Stories (Paperback)

The author is best known for his theatrical work and poems, while his narrative prose has been underestimated. This collection of 37 short stories (reprinted for Brecht's centenary) shows another facet of Brecht's literatry gift. This is writing with an unpretentious tone and reporting style. The composition of the stories falls into three distinct periods. The Bavarian stories written between 1920 and 1924 treat mainly autobiographical problems of a young man in his early twenties. The Berlin stories written between 1924 and 1933 marks his most intense period in this genre. These stories have a sober and realistic style, thematically dominated by topical issues of the 1920's, aiming to reveal the social behavior of individuals. The third group refers to stories written during Brecht's exile (1937-1940), the first pieces serve as ammunition in the struggle against fascism, and the later ones have a strong socially critical orientation. The reader familiarized with the work of Brecht (poems and plays) will certainly recognize the author's style stamped in these short stories, his determination to represent reality accurately, lack of affectation, anecdotal but with a sense of dread. Quite a treat for a lover of short stories!