Tragedy since 9/11: reading a world out of joint

Abstract

or less worked out scenes’ (72) but ‘over 500 archived sheets’ (72), which can be ascribed to the project with varying extents of certainty. On the other hand, The Bread Store and The Judith of Shimoda are both ‘“almost” complete’ (183). Phoebe von Held and Matthias Rothe, who provide the introduction to Fleischhacker, usefully note some ‘blind spots in Brecht’s reception of American society’ (15) with regard to race that are evident in the play, which might stand out to a contemporary reader. Similar qualifications regarding the reception and presentation of Japanese society and culture would have been welcome in the introduction to The Judith of Shimoda. However, the multiple layers of this text, which is the ‘first English translation of [. . .] Neureuter’s German-language reconstruction (2006) of [Brecht and Wuolijoki’s] respective adaptation(s) (1940) of [. . .] Shaw’s English rendering (1935) of Yamamoto Yūzō’s 1929 play’ (295), make the attribution of any potentially problematic attitudes to any one Western author practically impossible. Marc Silberman, who translated and edited Garbe/Büsching, presents the final fragment of the collection in a facing-page layout. While he gives his reasoning for this choice, namely the extremely fragmented nature of the material, this particular layout makes both editorial commentary and play fragment significantly harder to read than the rest of the collection. Kuhn and Ryland’s edited collection aims to expand their readers’ understanding of Bertholt Brecht’s creative process, and succeeds in doing so. The book manages to leave enough gaps for the reader to draw their own conclusions on each fragment, while generating a greater understanding and appreciation for Brecht’s productivity and ongoing innovation. The various translations in the collection clearly demonstrate different aspects of the range of non-naturalistic, rhythmical and elevated styles of Brecht’s language. Further, the clarity with which the collaborative nature of Brecht’s approach is detailed in each case provides useful insights into his working methods and principles. Each contribution is accessible in tone, though all require sound basic knowledge of Brecht’s life, work, legacy, and the political events of the early to mid-20 century. As the collection presumes somewhat substantial preexisting knowledge, its readership would most likely be comprised of undergraduate students in the later stages of their degree, postgraduates, and scholars with an interest in Brecht. This book presents an inviting extension of English-language materials on one of the most wellknown theatre-makers of the 20 century.