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HOW฀W E฀OIGESTE P฀BERTOL T฀BRECH T฀ Wolf Sieger t I฀ Before฀leavin g฀Berlin ,฀I ฀ran g฀u p฀Klau s฀Volke r฀an d฀w e฀ spoke฀abou t฀ou r฀contribution s฀t o฀thi s฀seminar .฀Whe n฀I ฀tol d฀ him฀tha t฀I ฀intended฀t o฀spea k฀abou t฀ne w฀development s฀i n฀th e฀ reception฀o f฀Brech t฀i n฀Germany ,฀h e฀aske d฀me :฀'Poes฀i t฀stil l฀ exist?'฀An d฀w e฀laughed .฀Wa s฀thi s฀blac k฀humour ?฀ It฀i s฀true .฀W e฀hav e฀t o฀spea k฀abou t฀a ฀ne w฀perio d฀o f฀ Brecht฀receptio n฀i n฀Germany .฀I ฀thin k฀thi s฀wil l฀b e฀calle d฀ later฀th e฀thir d฀period :฀th e฀perio d฀whe n฀peopl e฀hav e฀go t฀ tired฀o f฀hi s฀work ,฀wher e฀the y฀ar e฀searchin g฀t o฀distanc e฀ Brecht฀b y฀announcin g฀hi s฀death ,฀th e฀forme r฀student s฀ proclaiming฀tha t฀the y฀hav e฀finall y฀an d฀foreve r฀outgrow n฀ him.฀I ฀d o฀no t฀agre e฀wit h฀suc h฀a n฀attitud e฀no r฀wit h฀suc h฀ schematisation฀bu t฀i t฀serve s฀a s฀a ฀fram e฀tha t฀allow s฀u s฀t o฀ situate฀th e฀proces s฀an d฀stage s฀o f฀Brech t฀reception .฀Eve n฀ those฀wh o฀ar e฀stil l฀'believers '฀no w฀fin d฀i t฀necessar y฀t o฀ speak฀o f฀th e฀nee d฀t o฀'actualise '฀him. *฀ Though฀development s฀i n฀th e฀receptio n฀o f฀Brecht' s฀wor k฀ have฀bee n฀ver y฀differen t฀i n฀th e฀tw o฀separate d฀Germanys ,฀ at฀th e฀en d฀o f฀th e฀Seventie s฀w e฀fin d฀a ฀fairl y฀simila r฀result .฀ In฀a ฀197 8฀televisio n฀intervie w฀Wol f฀Bierman n฀describe d฀i t฀ in฀th e฀followin g฀terms :฀'Afte r฀peopl e฀ha d฀finall y฀bee n฀fe d฀ enough฀Brecht ,฀the y฀ar e฀no w฀thoroughl y฀fe d฀u p฀wit h฀hi m฀everybody ฀i n฀hi s฀ow n฀way .฀I n฀th e฀Germa n฀Pemocrati c฀ Republic฀Brech t฀wa s฀degrade d฀t o฀th e฀statu s฀o f฀a ฀monumen t฀ and฀beate n฀int o฀th e฀childre n฀unti l฀the y฀couldn' t฀stan d฀hi m฀ any฀more ,฀lik e฀Schille r฀o r฀an y฀othe r฀classic .฀I n฀th e฀Wes t฀o n฀ the฀othe r฀han d฀afte r฀a ฀lon g฀perio d฀o f฀denigratio n฀an d฀ silence฀Brech t฀becam e฀reall y฀fashionable .฀Bu t฀becaus e฀o f฀ the฀asthmati c฀rhyth m฀o f฀fashio n฀her e฀i n฀th e฀Wes t฀th e฀ 176฀Wol f฀Sieger t฀ automatic฀consequenc e฀i s฀tha t฀peopl e฀hav e฀no w฀ha d฀enoug h฀ for฀a ฀while' .฀ Biermann,฀an d฀everyon e฀else ,฀call s฀Brech t฀a ฀classic ,฀a฀ term,฀whic h฀du e฀t o฀th e฀specific s฀o f฀Germa n฀literar y฀an d฀ cultural฀history ,฀ha s฀conservativ e฀connotations .฀Hi s฀house keeper ฀Mar i฀Oh m฀report s฀ho w฀Brech t฀use d฀t o฀sa y฀t o฀her :฀ 'One฀da v฀I ฀a m฀goin g฀t o฀b e฀famous '฀an d฀' I฀a m฀a ฀moder n฀ classic'.^฀Bu t฀realit y฀ha s฀advance d฀fa r฀beyon d฀hi s฀ dreams,฀fo r฀h e฀ha s฀no w฀becom e฀tw o฀classics :฀in฀th e฀Wes t฀' a฀ modern฀classic '฀an d฀i n฀th e฀Eas t฀' a฀classi c฀o f฀socialist realism '.฀ In฀thi s฀contex t฀ther e฀i s฀a ฀passag e฀i n฀Brecht' s฀ autobiographical฀writing s฀o f฀192 5฀tha t฀i s฀particularl y฀ apposite.฀Th e฀topi c฀i s฀skyscraper s฀an d฀h e฀writes :฀'I t฀shoo k฀ me฀whe n฀I ฀sa w฀(i n฀th e฀brochur e฀o f฀a n฀America n฀ construction฀company )฀tha t฀thes e฀skyscraper s฀remaine...

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