‘Hungry man, reach for the book. It is a weapon.’
It’s Bertolt Brecht’s 116th birthday.
The guy revolutionized theater. Learning about him in college changed the way I thought about art. It sent me down a rabbit hole of voracious reading and seeing plays, movies, and art I would never have encountered otherwise. Quite seriously, no one has influenced me the way he did, and I think a lot of people can say the same. I won’t waste your time with my descriptions of his theories, but his work is legend.
But if you’re interested, wikipedia is as good a place as any to start.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht
Also, Brecht is famous for running circles around the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
Check some of that out here. Also, you can listen to the whole thing (highly recommended) with commentary/notes by Eric Bentley, one of the foremost Brecht scholars. It’s available on amazon.com. I’d include a link, but I don’t know that Mr. Brecht would be happy with that.
Enjoy all. Have a great evening.
I left three pennies.
-Liam
Liam Billingham 