Bertolt Brecht

1. Famous Works

1.1. Most famous musical collaboration is, 'Three Penny Opera'

1.1.1. adapted from John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera

1.1.2. The one the play’s most renowned lines is: "Who is the bigger criminal: he who robs a bank or he who founds one?"

1.1.3. Brecht and composer Kurt Weill filled the show with humorous scoundrels, riveting songs (including “Mack the Knife”) and scathing social satire

1.2. Most acclaimed is, 'Mother Courage and Her Children'

1.2.1. set in the 1600s

1.2.2. relevant to contemporary society

1.2.3. regarded as one of the finest anti-war plays

1.2.4. frequently been revived in recent years to express views on modern day warfare

2. Bibliography

2.1. Bradford, Wade. "The Life and Work of Playwright Berthold Brecht." About.com Plays / Drama. About.com, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://plays.about.com/od/playwrights/a/brecht.htm>.

3. Other Plays

3.1. Drums in the Night: Part romance, part political drama, the play is set during a violent worker’s revolt in 1918 Germany.

3.2. Edward II: Brecht loosely adapted this regal drama from 16th century playwright, Christopher Marlowe.

3.3. Saint Joan of the Stockyards: Set in Chicago (and written shortly after the Stock Market Crash) this 20th century Joan of Arc battles cruel hearted industrialists only to be martyred like her historical namesake.

3.4. Fear and Misery of the Third Reich: Brecht’s most overtly anti-fascist play analyzes the insidious way the Nazis came into power.

4. He also wrote poetry, essays, and short stories

4.1. O Germany, Pale Mother!