Everyone knows that Bertolt Brecht was one of the great 20th-century innovators in theatre - the literary-theatrical equivalent of a Picasso or Stravinsky - and Germany's greatest poet of the last century, but the playwright was also a dazzling writer of stories. Storytelling permeated his art as a dramatist; fundamentally in his plays he was a storyteller. This volume collects the complete short stories written by Brecht, including the prize-winning 'The Monster', and the fragmentary memoir ghost-written by Brecht, 'Life Story of the boxer Samson-Koerner'. Brecht scholar Marc Silberman provides an introduction and editorial notes. Fans of Brecht will find in the 37 stories assembled here the same directness, lack of affectation, and wry humour that characterise his plays. Every lover of short stories will discover an unexpected trove of pleasure in this "mine for short-story addicts" (Observer).
Everyone knows that Bertolt Brecht was one of the great 20th-century innovators in theatre - the literary-theatrical equivalent of a Picasso or Stravinsky - and Germany's greatest poet of the last century, but the playwright was also a dazzling writer of stories. Storytelling permeated his art as a dramatist; fundamentally in his plays he was a storyteller. This volume collects the complete short stories written by Brecht, including the prize-winning 'The Monster', and the fragmentary memoir ghost-written by Brecht, 'Life Story of the boxer Samson-Koerner'. Brecht scholar Marc Silberman provides an introduction and editorial notes. Fans of Brecht will find in the 37 stories assembled here the same directness, lack of affectation, and wry humour that characterise his plays. Every lover of short stories will discover an unexpected trove of pleasure in this "mine for short-story addicts" (Observer).
Introduction The Bavarian Stories (1920-1924) Barvan gives up Story on a Ship The Revelation The Foolish Wife The Blind Man A Helping Hand Java Meier The Lance-Sergeant Message in a Bottle A Mean Bastard The Death of Cesare Malatesta The Berlin Stories (1924-1933) The Answer Before the Flood Conversation about the South Seas Letter about a Mastiff Hook to the Chin Müller's Natural Attitude North Sea Shrimps Bad Water A Little Tale of Insurance Four Men and a Poker Game Barbara The Good Lord's Package The Monster The Job Stories Written in Exile (1934-1948) Safety First The Soldier of La Ciotat A Mistake Gaumer and Irk Socrates Wounded The Experiment The Heretic's Coat Lucullus's Trophies The Unseemly Old Lady A Question of Taste The Augsburg Chalk Circle Two Sons Appendix Life Story of the Boxer Samson-Körner Editorial Notes The Principle Collections of Brecht's Short Stories Notes on the Individual Stories Index of Titles in German
Thirty-seven dazzling short stories from the great 20th-century poet and theatrical innovator Bertolt Brecht.
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is acknowledged as one of the great dramatists of the 20th century whose plays, work with the Berliner Ensemble and writing have had a considerable influence on the theatre. His landmark plays include The Threepenny Opera and, while exiled from Germany and living in the USA, such masterpieces as The Life of Galileo, Mother Courage and The Caucasian Chalk Circle.
Casual wickedness, moral hypocrisy, determined self-interest - such
are the familiar residents of Brecht's milieu . . .in this complete
collection of his known finished stories . . . Chilling
perfection.
*Times Literary Supplement*
Highly anecdotal, humourously accepting of the facts of life, like
tales told by a clever seaman in a pub.
*Guardian*
These tales are the least known of Brecht's work, yet they underlie
most of his major writings in other fields. Terse, mild-voiced,
with piercing detail - a mine for short story addicts.
*Observer*
But whether Brecht is negotiating relationships, providing
narrative attesting to a character’s humanity, or offering an
anthropological approach to displacement or alienation, there is
always a superior literary talent at work. His plots,
characterizations, style, and language in these short stories prove
Silberman’s point. Among other things, Brecht was a great and
engaging storyteller. I’d even go so far as to say that many of the
offerings in The Collected Short Stories of Bertolt Brecht are
equal to his works for the stage.
*American Theatre*
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