Brecht as They Knew Him [rare books] by Hanns Eisler

BERTOLT BRECHT as seen by Lion Feucht-wanger, Herbert Jhering, Lotte Lenya, Caspar Neher, Walter Benjamin, Hanns Eisler, Paul Dessau, Max Frisch, Erwin Strittmatter, Walter Mittenzwei, Vladi-mir Pozner and some twenty-five others who knew and worked with him: directors, actors, dramatists, musicians and writers, friends and colleagues all con-tribute to these recollections of Brecht...

A man who had not seen Herr K. for a long time greeted him with the words: "You haven't changed at all." "Oh!", said Herr K., and paled. These few lines of Brechr's taken from Stories of Herr Keuner sum up his conviction that change was the essence of growth and necessary to man's improvement. Brecht was also of the opinion that "without outside help, only with the sparce material which an individual can carry in his arms", it was possible to erect a small hut, but never great and lasting buildings. These two principles. change and collaboration, were essential to Brecht's work as director, dramatist, innovator and man of the theatre, poet and thinker. These recollections give a portrait of Bertolt Brecht, the man of genius who changed the poetic face of Germany.