Bertolt Brecht

German poet, playwright, and theatre director (1898–1956)
Person human Q38757
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Bertolt Brecht

Summary

Bertolt Brecht is a human[1]. He was born in Augsburg[2]. He was born on February 10, 1898[3]. He passed away in East Berlin[4]. He died on August 14, 1956[5]. He worked as a playwright[6], lyricist[7], screenwriter[8], theatrical director[9], and poet[10]. He ranks in the top 0.55% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (6,016 views/month, #5,456 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Bertolt Brecht was born in Augsburg[2].
  • Bertolt Brecht died in East Berlin[4].
  • Bertolt Brecht was born on February 10, 1898[3].
  • Bertolt Brecht died on August 14, 1956[5].
  • Burial took place at Dorotheenstadt Cemetery[12].
  • Bertolt Brecht's mother was Sophie Brezing[13].
  • Bertolt Brecht was married to Marianne Zoff[14].
  • Among Bertolt Brecht's spouses was Helene Weigel[15].
  • A child of Bertolt Brecht was Stefan Brecht[16].
  • A child of Bertolt Brecht was Hanne Hiob[17].
  • A child of Bertolt Brecht was Barbara Brecht-Schall[18].
  • A child of Bertolt Brecht was Michel Berlau[19].
  • A child of Bertolt Brecht was Frank Banholzer[20].
  • Bertolt Brecht held citizenship in German Empire[21].
  • Bertolt Brecht held citizenship in German Democratic Republic[22].
  • Bertolt Brecht held citizenship in Weimar Republic[23].
  • Bertolt Brecht held citizenship in Austria[24].
  • Bertolt Brecht's professions included playwright[6].
  • Bertolt Brecht's professions included lyricist[7].
  • Bertolt Brecht worked as a screenwriter[8].
  • Bertolt Brecht's professions included theatrical director[9].
  • Bertolt Brecht's professions included poet[10].
  • Bertolt Brecht worked as a librettist[25].
  • Bertolt Brecht's field of work was drama[26].
  • Bertolt Brecht was educated at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Bertolt Brecht's place of birth was Augsburg[2]. He was born on February 10, 1898[3]. His mother was Sophie Brezing[13].

Education

Bertolt Brecht's education included a stint at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München[27].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include playwright[6], lyricist[7], screenwriter[8], theatrical director[9], poet[10], and librettist[25]. Bertolt Brecht's field of work was drama[26].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include The Threepenny Opera[28], a literary work[29], founded in 1928[30]; Life of Galileo[31], a literary work[32], founded in 1939[33]; and The Caucasian Chalk Circle[34], a literary work[35], founded in 1944[36]. Things named for Bertolt Brecht include 12298 Brecht[37] and International Brecht Society[38].

Recognition

Awards received include National Prize of East Germany[39], a national award[40], in German Democratic Republic[41], founded in 1949[42]; International Stalin Prize for Peace[43], a peace award[44], in Soviet Union[45], founded in 1949[46]; and star on Playwrights' Sidewalk[47], a commemorative plaque[48].

Personal Life

Spouses include Marianne Zoff[14], an opera singer[49], 1893–1984[50], of Austria[51] and Helene Weigel[15], a politician[52], 1900–1971[53], of Austria[54], awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in Gold[55]. Children include Stefan Brecht[16], a university teacher[56], 1924–2009[57], of United States[58]; Hanne Hiob[17], an actor[59], 1923–2009[60], of Germany[61]; Barbara Brecht-Schall[18], an actor[62], 1930–2015[63], of Germany[64], awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in Gold[65]; Michel Berlau[19]; and Frank Banholzer[20], a soldier[66], 1919–1943[67]. Bertolt Brecht's religion is recorded as atheism[68]. He was affiliated with the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany[69].

Death and Burial

Bertolt Brecht died on August 14, 1956[5]. He died in East Berlin[4]. The cause of death was myocardial infarction[70]. He is buried at Dorotheenstadt Cemetery[12].

Why It Matters

Bertolt Brecht ranks in the top 0.55% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (6,016 views/month, #5,456 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 28 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[71] He is known by 91 alternative names across languages and contexts.[72]

He has been cited as an influence by Bob Dylan[73], a songwriter[74], b. 1941[75], of United States[76], awarded the National Medal of Arts[77], specialised in singing[78]; Walter Benjamin[79], a philosopher[80], 1892–1940[81], of Kingdom of Prussia[82], specialised in philosophy[83]; W. H. Auden[84], a poet[85], 1907–1973[86], of United Kingdom[87], awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship[88]; Rainer Werner Fassbinder[89], a screenwriter[90], 1945–1982[91], of American occupation zone in Germany[92], awarded the German Film Award for Best Screenplay[93]; Fredric Jameson[94], an essayist[95], 1934–2024[96], of United States[97], awarded the Holberg International Memorial Prize[98], specialised in literary criticism[99]; and David Hare[100], a playwright[101], b. 1947[102], of United Kingdom[103], awarded the Evening Standard Theatre Awards[104], specialised in drama[105].

He is credited with the discovery of epic theatre[106]. Works attributed to him include Mother Courage and Her Children[107], The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui[108], The Threepenny Opera[109], The Caucasian Chalk Circle[110], Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny[111], and Life of Galileo[112]. Entities named for him include 12298 Brecht[37] and International Brecht Society[38].

FAQs

Where was Bertolt Brecht born?

Bertolt Brecht was born in Augsburg[2].

Where did Bertolt Brecht die?

Bertolt Brecht passed away in East Berlin[4].

Who were Bertolt Brecht's parents?

Bertolt Brecht's mother was Sophie Brezing[13].

Who was Bertolt Brecht married to?

Bertolt Brecht's spouses include Marianne Zoff[14] and Helene Weigel[15].

What did Bertolt Brecht do for work?

Bertolt Brecht worked as playwright[6], lyricist[7], screenwriter[8], theatrical director[9], and poet[10].

Where did Bertolt Brecht go to school?

Bertolt Brecht was educated at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München[27].

What awards did Bertolt Brecht receive?

Honors received include National Prize of East Germany[39], International Stalin Prize for Peace[43], and star on Playwrights' Sidewalk[47].

Who did Bertolt Brecht influence?

Bertolt Brecht has been cited as an influence by Bob Dylan[73], Walter Benjamin[79], W. H. Auden[84], and Rainer Werner Fassbinder[89].

What did Bertolt Brecht discover?

Bertolt Brecht is credited as discoverer of epic theatre[106].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

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  2. [4] . Q131401229. wikidata.org.
  3. [13] . wikidata.org.
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  32. [28] . wikidata.org.
  33. [31] . wikidata.org.
  34. [34] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

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Class ancestry

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Aggregate / graph-position facts

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  2. [71] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [72] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Bertolt Brecht. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/bertolt-brecht
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 19h ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation playwright, lyricist, screenwriter +7
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32085|batch #32085]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (27)"
  2. 13d ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image purged license
    Image purged at
    Image unavailable reason
    Image needs reharvest
    + 1 other property edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30468|batch #30468]]: add P1810 to P5739 2/3"
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