Biography
The XX century with his wars and revolutions, economic shocks and scientific discoveries was the epoch of the ingenious minds who created their own creativity and talent a special cultural reservoir, an invaluable heritage. One of these creators was a German poet, a writer and playwright Bertold Brecht, whose plays became the classics of the world theater repertoire. "Shakespeare of the 20th century" - so called Brecht contemporaries, giving a high assessment of his theory of the "Epic Theater".Childhood and youth
Ohgen Berthold (Bertold) Brecht was born on February 10, 1898 in Augsburg, Germany. Father Berthold Friedrich Brecht passed the career path from the commercial agent to the director of the paper factory. Mother Sofia Brecing - daughter of the head of the railway factory. Ohiz became the firstborn couple.
Chet Brecht was one of the most wealthy in this small Bavarian town. And the boy grew up in the traditional for those years in the bourgeois atmosphere: the parents had a servant, in children - nanny, dear Christmas gifts and good home teachers. A little later, Oygen went to the folk school of the Franciscan monastic order, then entered the Bavarian royal real gymnasium.
However, the Education became Oumen, the greater dislike he was penetrated into this Meshchansky defendant. Conflicts with parents soon turned into a real riot, later the young man was completely distinguished from the family and became an outcast. All this storm of feelings found a way out in poetic creativity. The first poems, essays and stories under the impression of the creativity of idol Frank Kuekinda The guy began to write and print in local journals in the gymnasium in 1913-1914.
In 1917, Oume graduated from the gymnasium and entered the medical department of the University of Munich, but after a year he was called up to the army. In order not to let the Son on the front because of weak health, Brecht's father overturned the place of Sanitar in a military hospital for him.
Seeing and having heard (in the stories of the wounded) involvement of the war, the poet writes his first resonant work of the "Legend of the Dead Soldier", in which in a satirical manner tells about the adventures of a soldier learned from the grave recognized by the medical board suitable for service and returned back to war. In a matter of days, the poem becomes popular and divorced by quotes.
Creation
Soon, Brecht returns to the university, but translates to the Faculty of Philosophy, where he studied only 2 years and was excluded due to non-appearance. The reason for such behavior was his new passion - theater. Now he is frequent of literary and artistic cafes and himself plays on the stage of the Wilde Boney theater.
In these years, the first plays of Bertold Brecht are born (the author is already creating under this name) "Meshchanskaya wedding", "Waal", "drums in the night", but no theater takes them to production. Then the playwright goes to torture happiness in Berlin, but in the capital it is cocked and cold.
The situation has changed the interference of the famous Berlin criticism of Herbert Jering. Thanks to his positive reviews about Brecht's drama, his plays began to put on the scenes of Munich, Berlin and other cities, causing a squall of criticism and discontent from the authorities.
At this time, Brecht renews the study of philosophy in the University of Berlin, and also works on the publishing field, produces a collection of poems "home sermon" (1927), works at the Pisitor Theater, where he adapts scenarios.
In 1928, the new director of the theater on Schiffbauerdamm Joseph Aufricht ordered Brecht to process the famous English "opera of the poor" John Gay, written in the XVIII century. Bertold with heat is taken for the work in which she tries not to change the plot, but only plays the interpretation of images and introduces new characters.
Libretto's translation into German implemented Elizabeth Hauptman. The play, called the "Three-Grochy Opera", put a close friend of Breht - directed by Eric Engel to the music of Kurt Wail. It was the first real triumph of the author.
Until the early 1930s, Breht and Engel work in Tandem, trying to fully develop the so-called theory of the "epic theater" developed by the playwright. It implies the merger of the action with an epic narration from the person's face or another neutral character. Also, the approach practices care from the primacy and sterility of the classic theater and inclusion in the course of the performance of communicating with the viewer.
All these innovations initially did not take out on the scenes of German theaters. And only at the end of the 40s with the creation of his own theater Brecht, finally, to fully embody in the practice of conceived reforms, and then the entire world theater community will be picked up.
Exile
In 1935, the National Socialists, who came to power in Germany, headed by Adolf Hitler, deprived Brecht of German citizenship, remembering the publication of anti-reflective works.
However, 2 years earlier, the playwright left the country, having moved with his wife and children to Vienna, and then in Zurich. In Switzerland, Brecht did not fit and began to look for refuge where he could freely exist and work. In 1933, while in Germany, the fascists burned his books along with the works of Erich Mary Remarik, Henry Manna and Karl Marx, he moved to Denmark, settling in a secluded fishing village.
Here in the conditions of harsh, but the wonderful Scandinavian nature, the author wrote such outstanding works as "Fear and despair in the Third Empire", "Mamash Courage and Her Children", and also graduated from the initial version of the Life of Galilee. From Denmark, Brecht leaves in 1939 due to the persecution of creativity: the king of Christian X was against his anti-war plays.
Temporarily settled in Switzerland, the writer is waiting for an American visa, but, having received a refusal, goes to Finland, when this country joined the Hitler coalition in 1941, Brecht again runs away from the war and its destructive destruction. This time the United States gave him a visa, and he leaves Europe for as many as 6 years. During this time, the author writes the play "Good Man from Selyan", "Sonya Simon Mashar", "Schweik in World War II", "Caucasian Calling Circle".
Homecoming
Returning to post-war Germany in 1947, the playwright chose the Socialist GDR residence. He got the opportunity to work without regardless, prohibitions and persecutions. The first thing he does is creates his theater "Berliner Ensemble". The very first performance "Momash Courage and her children" is marked by the National GDR Prize.
Further development of the repertoire was not without difficulty, Brecht was accused of "formalism", then in "cosmopolitanism" and "pacifism". Nevertheless, in 1950, Brecht became a valid member of the GDR Academy, and in 1954 she was a vice president. In the same year, he was awarded the International Stalinist Prize "For the Strengthening World Between Peoples". At the same time he writes its last work - the play "Turandot".
Personal life
The personal life of the famous playwright is the subject of a separate study of many biographers. This work was devoted to the Englishman John Fueji and Russian Yuri Oklasky (the book "Garem Bertold Brecht"). For example, the first author brings interesting facts from the biography of the playwright, stating that the numerous mistresses of Brecht are co-authors of his works, someone more, and someone to a lesser extent.
According to his statement, the "three-china opera" is 85% written by Translator Elizabeth Hauptman, the stenographer Margaret Steffin took part in the creation of a "good man from Selyan", the actress Ruth Berlau helped with Snami Simon Mashar.
Anyway, the documentary evidence of this theory does not exist, but the fact that the writer was indeed loving and close with many women - right. At the same time, he lived in a legitimate marriage all his life.
His first spouse in 1922 was the actress and singer Marianna Tsoff. Being 5 years older, the woman surrounded her husband with warmth and care. In 1923, they had a daughter of Hannah, who also later became an actress.
The reason for the divorce with Marianna was the new passion of the playground - the young actress Elena Waygel. She gave birth to Brechtu Son Stefan in 1924, and the spouses were officially married in 1929. Next year, their daughter Barbara was born, she also went to the creative footsteps of the mother.
Another child Bertold Brecht, the Son Frank is an extramarital. He was born in 1919 from Paula Basholzer, the girls in which Brecht was passionately in love.
Death
According to the evil irony of fate, having received the long-awaited recognition, an outstanding writer and playwright suddenly began to lose health, already undermined in the years of emigration. In the spring of 1956, working on the production of "Galilee's life" in his theater, he suffered a heart attack. Having received him for ordinary malaise, did not turn to the doctor.
A man went on a small vacation and began to work again, but in August his well-being deteriorated sharply. Doctors diagnosed an extensive heart attack, which was the cause of his death on August 14, 1956.
Theatrical leader buried on Doroteenstadsk cemetery. Brecht bequeathed not to pronounce over his grave farewell speeches and words. There is no photo, dates and regalia on the site of the writer, this is a simple gray gravestone on which only his name is carved. Exactly the same standing nearby - this is the grave of his devoted Muse Elena Vaigel, who even after death did not want to part with her genius.
Work
- 1928 - "Trigroshova Opera"
- 1938 - "Mama Courage and her children"
- 1939 - "Fear and despair in the Third Empire"
- 1939 - "Life of Galilee"
- 1943 - "Good Man from Seushana"
- 1944 - "Caucasian Call Circle"
- 1954 - "Turandot"