Poster Exhibition: Bertol Brecht's Paper War: Exile in America 1941-1947

Please join the Department of Germanic & Slavic Studies for our presentation of the ground-breaking exhibit "Bertol Brecht's PAPER WAR: Exile in America 1941-1947", opening on October 23, 2023 on the 3rd floor of Newcomb Hall at 4:00pm. Refreshments will be served, and the exhibit will remain on display through the end of the semester.   

This year marks the 125th birthday of the influential German poet, playwright, and theatrical reformer Bertol Brecht. Brecht is known for his leanings to the political left, and social and sociopolitical issues were a central element of his work. When the Nazis came to power, he had to flee Germany, eventually making his way to the US. As a suspected communist, he came under FBI surveillance and was interrogated by the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947. Brecht remains one of the most staged modern dramatists of modern times and continues to hold enormous appeal to those advocating and working for social change. 

Designed by curator and artist Grischa Meyer, the exhibition looks through Brecht’s glasses with contemporary eyes, reflecting on his views on the American way of life during the time of Roosevelt, Truman, and McCarthy, combining his writings and the newspaper clippings he used for inspiration. 

The exhibit is presented in partnership with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Foundation with funding from the German Foreign Office, the Goethe Institut, and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.