German Empire
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Bertolt Brecht
Augsburg, German Empire
Archival Overview
Revolutionary German playwright, theatrical theorist, and poet who invented Epic Theatre, the alienation effect (Verfremdungseffekt), and The Threepenny Opera.
Biographical Record
Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) was a Marxist German playwright, theater director, and poet whose theoretical innovations revolutionized 20th-century world drama. Emerging during the chaotic Weimar Republic, Brecht collaborated with composer Kurt Weill to create the sensational socialist musical satire The Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper, 1928), featuring 'Mack the Knife'.
Fleeing Nazi Germany in 1933, Brecht spent years of exile in Denmark, Sweden, and Hollywood, composing his greatest anti-fascist and historical parables: Mother Courage and Her Children, Life of Galileo, The Good Person of Szechwan, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Developing 'Epic Theatre', Brecht pioneered the Verfremdungseffekt (alienation/distancing effect), encouraging audiences to think critically and analytically rather than become passively emotionally absorbed.
Key Life Milestones
The Threepenny Opera
Premiered Die Dreigroschenoper at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, achieving legendary worldwide success.
Founding the Berliner Ensemble
Founded the Berliner Ensemble in East Berlin with Helene Weigel, establishing it as the world center of modern theatrical practice.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialBerlin, Germany