Paul Dessau Boeken

"One of the greatest poets and dramatists of our century."-ObserverBrecht projects an ancient Chinese story onto a realistic setting in Soviet Georgia. In a theme that echoes the Judgment of Solomon, two women argue over the possession of a child; thanks to the unruly judge, Azdak (one of Brecht's most vivid creations) natural justice is done, and the peasant Grusha keeps the child she loves, even though she is not its mother.Written in exile in the United States during the Second World War, The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a politically-charged, much-revived, and complex example of Brecht's epic theatre.This volume contains expert notes on the author's life and work, historical and political background to the play, photographs from stage productions, and a glossary of difficult words and phrases.

Widely considered one of the great dramatic creations of the modern stage, "Mother Courage and Her Children" is Bertolt Brecht's most passionate and profound statement against war. Set in the seventeenth century, the play follows Anna Fierling -- "Mother Courage" -- an itinerant trader, as she pulls her wagon of wares and her children through the blood and carnage of Europe's religious wars. Battered by hardships, brutality, and the degradation and death of her children, she ultimately finds herself alone with the one thing in which she truly believes -- her ramshackle wagon with its tattered flag and freight of boots and brandy. Fitting herself in its harness, the old woman manages, with the last of her strength, to drag it onward to the next battle. In the enduring figure of Mother Courage, Bertolt Brecht has created one of the most extraordinary characters in the literature of drama.