Eugen Berthold (later: Bertolt) Friedrich Brecht was born on 10 February 1898 in Augsburg. His father, Berthold Friedrich Brecht, was an administrative employee in a paper-mill who became its managing director in 1917 and who provided a financially secure existence for his sons Bertolt and Walter and their mother Wilhelmine Friederike Sophie Brecht (née Brezing). At secondary school Bertolt Brecht encountered the German classical writers as well as Molière and Shakespeare, also François Villon, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Rainer Maria Rilke, Frank Wedekind and Rudyard Kipling, alongside the Bible which he later called the most important influence on his own work. During his Augsburg years at school Brecht developed an interest in the theatre. From 1914 he wrote poetry, short prose…
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Citation: Lawrie, Steven W.. "Bertolt Brecht". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 December 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=554, accessed 23 November 2024.]
