Seven Plays by Bertolt Brecht

1962 BOOK REVIEWS : A visitor to the Theater am Schiffbauerdam, better known as the Brecht Theater, in East Berlin will be at the same time impressed by the opulence of his surroundings (the interior of the theater is built in a highly ornate gingerbread style best described as late nineteenth century rococo), gratified by the proficiency of the performances, and edified ,by the assurance that he is watching productions the definitive quality of which is guaranteed by the carefully preserved imprint of Brecht's personal touch. If he ventures into the snack bar on the mezzanine he will also be either gladdened or saddened, depending upon his personal political opinions, by the spectacle of a large red banner on which Brecht's signature is embroidered un9-er the following lege~d: PRAISE OF COMMUNISM It is rational-anyone can understand it. It is easy. You're not one of the slave-drivers, you can grasp it. It is good for you; inquire about it. The fools call it foolish, and the dirt-grubbers call it dirty. But it is against dirt, and against foolishness. The slave-drivers call it criminal. But we know: It is the end of all crime. It is not madness, but The end of madness. It is not the riddle, It is the solution. It is the simple thing, That is difficult to bring about. Without the-to us--damning title this could be a description of any humanitarian and egalitarian philosophy. The characteristic thing about Brecht's work is that plot and structure are always primary: the ideological slant is always an external addition which has nothing to do with the basic dramatic conflict. A good example of this is The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Essentially the play is a parable about human goodness.