HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

The Caucasian chalk circle (1955)

by Bertolt Brecht

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,1141117,901 (3.6)15
Written in exile during the Second World War, the story of Brecht's classic play subverts an ancient Chinese tale - echoed in the Judgement of Solomon - in which two women claim the same child. The message of Brecht's parable is that resources should go to those who will make best use of them. Thanks to the rascally judge, Azdak, one of Brecht's most vivid creations, this story has a happy outcome: the child is entrusted to the peasant Grusha, who has loved and nurtured it. Published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, this edition features an extensive introduction, Brecht's own notes on the play and a full appendix of textual variants. It is the standard critical edition of the work in an acclaimed translation by James and Tania Stern with W. H. Auden.… (more)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 15 mentions

English (9)  French (1)  All languages (10)
Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)
Peça fantástica. Saber que Brecht existe me faz ter o dobro de raiva daquilo que hoje se passa por arte política.
Bem, o que acontece é que ele era inteligente e escrevia para um público que ele supunha inteligente. Que ele tentava fazer inteligente. Era duma época em que ainda se punha fé na esperteza das massas.

É imprevisível e é engraçada (Brecht é o primeiro alemão que me fez rir e esse é um feito que não esquecerei). Todas as cenas com o Azdak são absolutamente espetaculares. O livro, que já era bom, vira o que é no penúltimo ato, quando ele entra em cena.

Mas Brecht não queria que as pessoas olhassem pra sua obra e dissessem simplesmente "muito bom" ou "fiz haha" — ele queria te fazer questionar por que é bom e por que haha, então me sinto numa obrigação aqui. Analisemos de maneira meio superficial o papel que o Azdak cumpre nessa peça por um minuto: Brecht nos põe de maneira intencionalmente inverossímil um juiz justo na história para que a gente ria, mas daí pare para pensar que absurdo é esse mundo em que vivemos onde é inverossímil um juiz ser justo. Só eu acho que não existe nada hoje em dia que faça algo minimamente próximo disso enquanto também ainda tenha algo a dizer? Não é apenas uma sobreposição de forma e conteúdo, mas o uso da forma como conteúdo em si. É algo que parece ter desaparecido em qualquer coisa com fim minimamente político. Em vez disso, temos esses troços meio oscarbait ou aqueles outros super vagos e pseudo-poéticos que são só chatos.

* * *

A quem interessar, é um livro relativamente fácil de ler em alemão. Tem meia dúzia de coloquialismos para os quais o dicionário não é de ajuda alguma, mas dá pra lidar bem. Todas as vezes que eu achei que tivesse entendido algo errado porque "como assim???!" era só o Brecht fazendo a coisa dele. Fui totalmente Verfremdungseffektado. ( )
  lui.zuc | Aug 31, 2021 |
When the sharks the sharks devour
Little fishes have their hour.


This might be the Master at his finest, remarkably both modern and ancient, timeless parables are bracketed in the struggle against fascists with an all too human squalor that likely made Stalin squeal.

The play within the play is apparently from an ancient Chinese tale, it proved unexpectedly surprising. Grusha is a wonderful, highly developed protagonist, unlike the Portia of Venice, her motivation isn't guile but an almost childish concept of loyalty and justice. No doubt Brecht embraced this unlikely refuge even as the world around him was collapsing into barbarism. The title refers to the Chinese story of a judge placing a child in a chalked circle and the two women claiming to be the mother are asked to remove the child, the nominal reason being that only the true parent could extricate the young one. As the reasoning goes the judge awards the child to the woman who didn't attempt to remove the child for fear of harming it. This is replicated by Brecht with certain human caveats about the stewards of justice and the greasing of palms. ( )
  jonfaith | Feb 22, 2019 |
Three words:
Read. For. School.
Ugh. ( )
  Elaine_Omwango | Jan 26, 2019 |
Brilliant, but nonetheless not even remotely my cup of tea. The main characters are compelling yet two-dimensional characters. More or less purely symbolic with little of interest to me. ( )
  AliceAnna | Oct 13, 2014 |
The start of the play was so boring. The actual interest started after the narration of the story of the tale about the child. I liked the judgement and the judge , but my winner character is Grusha. The simple hearted girl who took care of the baby so well against all odds. I really get amused at the narration of the character of governor's wife Natella , her love for gowns and i also derived fun from the description of her doctors. I do not understand the implication of the "caucasian" in the title. Never mind, I liked the plot and treatment too. ( )
  Alabala | Aug 24, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (25 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Brecht, BertoltAuthorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Beaton, AlistairTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bentley, EricTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Berlau, RuthAuthorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dessau, PaulContributorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

Is contained in

Is an adaptation of

Is abridged in

Has as a reference guide/companion

Has as a study

Has as a supplement

Has as a commentary on the text

Has as a student's study guide

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Among the ruins of a destroyed Caucasian village the members of two kolchos villages are sitting in a circle, smoking and drinking wine.
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
0394172582 1971 softcover English Grove (tr. Eric Bentley)
0713685948 2008 softcover English Methuen Drama Modern Plays (tr. Frank McGuinness)
0816635285 1999 softcover English Minnesota Press (tr. Eric Bentley)
1408126702 2010 softcover English Methuen Drama Modern Plays (tr. Alistair Beaton)
3518100319 1963 softcover German edition suhrkamp 31
3518739751 2013 eBook German suhrkamp
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

Written in exile during the Second World War, the story of Brecht's classic play subverts an ancient Chinese tale - echoed in the Judgement of Solomon - in which two women claim the same child. The message of Brecht's parable is that resources should go to those who will make best use of them. Thanks to the rascally judge, Azdak, one of Brecht's most vivid creations, this story has a happy outcome: the child is entrusted to the peasant Grusha, who has loved and nurtured it. Published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, this edition features an extensive introduction, Brecht's own notes on the play and a full appendix of textual variants. It is the standard critical edition of the work in an acclaimed translation by James and Tania Stern with W. H. Auden.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.6)
0.5
1 2
1.5 1
2 11
2.5 1
3 44
3.5 9
4 54
4.5 3
5 21

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,243,167 books! | Top bar: Always visible