John Fuegi

Apoiado por artigos inéditos e entrevistas com colegas de Brecht e várias de suas amantes, Fuegi argumenta nesta biografia que Brecht não foi de fato o autor das peças que lhe deram estatura icônica. Sabemos, é claro, que O Círculo de Giz Caucasiano é uma tranbsadaptação da peça chinesa de Li Qianfu ( da Dinastia Yuan dynasty (1259–1368) intitulada 灰闌記; pinyin: huīlán jì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hoei-lan-ki, traduzida ao inglês como Chalk Circle, peça verisifcada em 4 atos com um prólogo. Sabemos que Die Dreigroschenoper é uma transadaptação de The Beggars' Opera de John Gay. Mas Fuegi alega que "Mãe Coragem" e ¨A alma boa de Szechuan", entre outras,, foram escritas em troca de sexo num esquema de textos compostos pelas amantes de Brecht, (nenhuma das quais recebeu qualquer reconhecimento). Fuegi demonstra que Brecht. pessoalmente, era um sujeito ofensivo, politicamente escorregadio, sexualmente perturbado, racista, antissemita, plagiador e fascinante ao mesmo tempo. Tecendo história e biografia, o livro relembra encontros de Brecht com um cenógrafo de Hitler, com Kurt Weill, com Charles Laughton (que emprestou ao alemão a sua limusine, para usar em Hollywood), e ainda com Rosa Luxemburgo, Goebbels (que compunha um triângulo amoroso com o dramaturgo), Christopher Isherwood e Walter Benjamin. The Life and Lies of Bertolt Brecht tingiu de desconfiança, asco e viés a minha opinião sobre o homem e, autoralmente falando, a obra.… (mer)

BERTOLT BRECHT: ISBN 978-1408155622 John Fuegi- The author certainly managed to draw much unwanted attention to himself. I believe he wanted attention, but this backfired and instead of fans flocking around telling him how courageous he is, most fans vanished. The few who remained did so out of curiosity, perhaps to see what he would do next.
Taking on a respected and revered playwright. such as Bertolt Brecht in this era was equivalent to ones own social suicide.
I believe he was trying to show the world what really goes on "backstage". However, the method he chose by personally disgracing Bertolt Brecht and seemingly enjoying himself, made his noose and emotionally hung himself.… (mer)

This is the first full-length study in any language of Bertolt Brecht's day-to-day work as a theatre director. Professor Fuegi has researched his subject extensively over many years, and this book is the result of interviews with Brecht's closest associates (including Helene Weigel, Angelika Hurwicz, Elisabeth Hauptmann and Hans Bunge), inspection of the unpublished typescripts recording several years of Brecht rehearsals at the Berlin Ensemble, and consultation of archival materials in Moscow, Berlin and Harvard University. Although Brecht is acknowledged worldwide as having changed our whole conception of playwriting, acting and directing, virtually nothing has been previously published which tells how he worked and reacted with actors, and how his productions were actually put together in rehearsal. John Fuegi now tells the story, evoking the excitement and controversy which surrounded Brecht's work on the stage.… (mer)