BERTOLT BRECHT’S PAPER WAR EXILE IN AMERICA 1941–1947

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German playwright BERTOLT BRECHT (1898–1956) fled Germany after Hitler came to power, along with many other members of Germany’s literary and artistic community. While in exile in the United States in the 1940s, he wrote numerous plays that were thinly veiled criticisms of fascism. Also, he created artworks like his Kriegsfibel (War Primer) project, where he and collaborator Ruth Berlau combined photographs from magazines and newspapers to form a statement about World War II.

In this exhibition, held on the first floor of Doheny Memorial Library, the panels on display mirror Brecht’s use of montage to capture his observations on contemporary politics, literature, and theater—as well as an outsider’s perspective on the American way of life during a time of enormous upheaval.

At a panel discussion preceding the exhibition reception, author and New Yorker music critic ALEX ROSS will moderate a conversation with curator GRISCHA MEYER and filmmaker ANDREA SIMON, whose short documentary Salka Viertel, Every Sunday is on display in the exhibition. The exhibition and event are made possible by a generous grant from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany as part of the Germany on Campus 2023 program.

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