Description
Book SynopsisFirst English translation of the memoirs of the vaunted theater producer Aufricht, providing an inside account of the late Weimar theater scene in Berlin and much else of interest. This is the first English translation of the memoirs of the great German-Jewish theater producer Ernst Josef Aufricht (in German 1966, rpt. 1998). The title alludes to Brecht and Weill's Threepenny Opera, the premiere of which was produced by Aufricht at his Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin in 1928, launching Brecht and Weill to worldwide fame. Aufricht's book is most notable for its insider's account of the Berlin theater scene from the great days of the late 1920s and early 30s. Its range, however, from school years and the military to his time as an actor and then producer, the rise of the Nazis, and finally his long years of exile in France and America, gives the picture of a complex individual with a talent for survival and a winningly understated sense of humor. The book will be of interest to an academic audience, but its reflections on a period of momentous artistic and political events will expand its appeal to a wider group: those interested in twentieth-century German history, music and theater history, as well as the general reader. A selection of photographs, some rare and many showing Aufricht's famous productions, enhances this English edition. Benjamin Bloch is a clinical psychologist who studied German and English Literature at Oberlin College. Marc Silberman is Emeritus Professor of German at the University of Wisconsin.
Trade Review[Aufricht's 1966 memoir is] an essential source of information about [his] legendary productions [of Brecht and Weill]. The memoir has been reprinted repeatedly in Germany . . . but it has never been available in English until now. . . . Aufricht's stories . . . are all entertaining, told with a sharp eye for detail and a firm command of irony. Now English-language readers can see for themselves. * KURT WEILL NEWSLETTER *
Table of ContentsIntroduction by Marc Silberman Translator's Acknowledgments AND THE SHARK, HE HAS TEETH Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeem Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen
