Baal / A Man's a Man / The Elephant Calf

by Bertolt Brecht

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Baal was the first full-length play written by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It concerns a wastrel youth who becomes involved in several sexual affairs and at least one murder. A man's a man explores themes of war, human fungibility, and identity. The elephant calf is accused of killing his own mother, and a banana tree is determined to prove his guilt in a trial moderated by the Moon as judge.

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2 reviews
Early works from Brecht, including his first play, Baal. Absurdism and nonsense run through what are nearly plotless plays, though if you stick with it, eventually a bare bones plot shows through - typical Brecht. The stories range through time without concern for time markers, allowing the reader to figure out where they are with only the cues given by the author. Enjoyable as long as you don't try to force them to make sense in a traditional manner.
The remarkable early plays of [the playwright] have now begun to share the attention and applause formerly reserved for his more recent works.

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1,436+ Works 23,704 Members
Bertolt Brecht was born on February 10, 1898 in Augsburg, Bavaria, and died on August 14, 1956. He was a German playwright, theatre director and Marxist. The modest house where he was born is today preserved as a Brecht Museum. Brecht formed a writing collective which became prolific and very influential. He wrote many lyrics for musicals and show more collaborated with Kurt Weill to create Die Dregroschenoper -- the biggest hit in 1920s Berlin. Brecht experimented with his own theater and company -- the Berliner Ensemble -- which put on his plays under his direction and which continued after his death with the assistance of his wife. Brecht aspired to create political theater, and it is difficult to evaluate his work in purely aesthetic terms. Brecht died in 1956. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Bentley, Eric (Editor)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Baal / A Man's a Man / The Elephant Calf
Original publication date
1918 (ontstaan) (ontstaan); 1922
People/Characters
Baal; Ekart; Johanna; Johannes; Mech
Important places
Berlin, Germany

Classifications

Genre
Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
832.912Literature & rhetoricGerman & related literaturesGerman drama1900-1900-19901900-1945
LCC
PT2603 .R397 .B3Language and LiteratureGerman, Dutch and Scandinavian literaturesGerman literatureIndividual authors or works1860/70-1960
BISAC

Statistics

Members
175
Popularity
186,598
Reviews
2
Rating
(3.05)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
3
ASINs
8