Bertolt Brecht – German 20th-century playwright and poet, author of “Mother Courage and Her Children” and “Life of Galileo”. Founder of epic theatre, he sought to make audiences active and critical rather than passive. Brecht fused art with politics and reshaped modern drama.
🎭 Developed the “alienation effect” to keep audiences thinking critically. 📖 Collaborated with composers Kurt Weill (“The Threepenny Opera”) and Paul Dessau. 🌍 Went into exile after the Nazis came to power, living in Denmark, the U.S., and Switzerland. ⚡ Testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the U.S. 📚 Founded the Berliner Ensemble, which became a landmark theatre in postwar Europe. 🖋️ His plays combine satire, humour, and social critique. 💡 Described theatre as a “school for thinking.” 🎬 Influenced filmmakers from Godard to Lars von Trier. 😂 Curious: during his U.S. testimony, his broken English amused journalists more than his politics. 😅 Funny fact: he loved smoking a pipe and joked his best ideas came “with the smoke.”