25 moments

1. Birth in Augsburg

   1898-02-10 · Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany

   Brecht was born in Augsburg, the Bavarian city where he spent his childhood and attended school.

2. Medical studies at Munich University

   1917-01-01 · Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

   To defer military conscription, Brecht enrolled in a medical course at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where he also studied drama with Arthur Kutscher.

3. Military medical orderly posting

   1918-01-01 · Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany

   During the final months of World War I, Brecht was posted back to his home city as a medical orderly in a military venereal-disease clinic. The source supports autumn 1918 but not a more precise date.

4. Early career in Munich

   1922-01-01 · Munich, Bavaria, Germany

   While living in Munich, Brecht gained national attention after Herbert Ihering's review of Drums in the Night and received the Kleist Prize.

5. Move to Berlin for Deutsches Theater post

   1924-09-01 · Deutsches Theater, Berlin, Germany

   Brecht moved to Berlin after obtaining a position as assistant dramaturg at Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater, a decisive shift in his professional life.

6. Berlin Weimar-period work

   1930-01-01 · Berlin, Germany

   Brecht spent his last Weimar-era years in Berlin, working with his collective on the Lehrstücke and on the film Kuhle Wampe. The card marks the beginning of a continuous Berlin period documented as 1930–1933.

7. Exile stop in Paris

   1933-01-01 · Paris, France

   Paris was another brief stop on Brecht and Weigel's initial route into exile from Nazi Germany. The source places this stop after Brecht fled Germany in February 1933 but gives no more precise date.

8. Exile stop in Zurich

   1933-01-01 · Zurich, Switzerland

   Zurich was one of Brecht and Weigel's brief stops during their flight from Nazi Germany before their move to Denmark. The source places this stop after Brecht fled Germany in February 1933 but gives no more precise date.

9. First Danish refuge on Thurø

   1933-01-01 · Thurø, Denmark

   Brecht and Weigel initially stayed with Karin Michaëlis on the small Danish island of Thurø after leaving Germany. The source situates the stay in the 1933 flight into Danish exile without a more precise date.

10. Flight through Prague

    1933-01-01 · Prague, Czechoslovakia

    After fleeing Nazi Germany, Brecht and Helene Weigel spent a brief period in Prague during their initial exile route. The source places this stop after Brecht fled Germany in February 1933 but gives no more precise date.

11. Svendborg exile residence

    1933-01-01 · Svendborg, Funen, Denmark

    The house at Skovsbo Strand 8 near Svendborg became the Brecht family's principal Danish residence for six years and a major base of his anti-Nazi exile work. Coordinates represent Svendborg; the cited house was at Skovsbo Strand 8 outside the town.

12. London exile appearance

    1936-01-01 · London, England, United Kingdom

    A contemporaneous photograph documents Brecht in London during his European exile. The source is a photograph caption; it supports year-level precision only.

13. Move to Stockholm

    1939-04-01 · Stockholm, Sweden

    With war appearing imminent, Brecht left Denmark and moved to Stockholm, where he remained for about a year.

14. Exile in Helsinki

    1940-01-01 · Helsinki, Finland

    After the German invasions of Norway and Denmark, Brecht left Sweden for Helsinki while awaiting a United States visa. Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940; the source does not provide a more precise arrival date.

15. Writing with Hella Wuolijoki at Marlebäck

    1940-01-01 · Marlebäck Manor, Iitti, Finland

    While in Finland, Brecht lived with Hella Wuolijoki at Marlebäck manor and co-wrote Mr Puntila and His Man Matti. The source places this residence during his Finnish period, beginning after April 1940.

16. Santa Monica residence

    1941-05-01 · Santa Monica, California, United States

    After receiving a United States visa, the Brecht family relocated to Southern California and rented a two-story home in Santa Monica. The source gives May 1941 for relocation; the family later lived at 1063 26th Street.

17. Arrival at San Pedro

    1941-07-21 · Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, California, United States

    Brecht identified San Pedro, California, as his point of arrival in the United States during his HUAC testimony. The testimony identifies the year as 1941 immediately after this statement.

18. Zurich residence after leaving the United States

    1947-01-01 · Zurich, Switzerland

    Immediately after his HUAC testimony and departure from the United States, Brecht lived in Zurich for approximately one year. The source places this residence after his 30 October 1947 testimony and before February 1948.

19. New York residence stated to HUAC

    1947-10-30 · 34 West 73rd Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

    During his HUAC testimony, Brecht stated that he was living at 34 West 73rd Street in New York. The statement appears in the transcript of Brecht's 30 October 1947 HUAC testimony.

20. Antigone staging in Chur

    1948-02-01 · Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland

    Brecht staged his adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone in Chur, an important postwar theatrical production later documented in Antigonemodell 1948.

21. Settlement in East Berlin

    1949-01-01 · East Berlin, East Germany

    

    Brecht moved to East Berlin and established the Berliner Ensemble there with Helene Weigel. Coordinates are a representative point for East Berlin; the Berliner Ensemble subsequently worked at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm.

22. Summer residence in Buckow

    1952-07-01 · Brecht-Weigel-Haus, Buckow, Brandenburg, Germany

    

    Brecht and Helene Weigel moved into a house in Buckow that became their summer retreat and the setting for later work including the Buckow Elegies. Quoted source is in German: “In July 1952, Brecht moved into a house in Buckow together with Helene Weigel.”

23. International Workers' Day at Berliner Ensemble

    1954-01-01 · Berliner Ensemble, Berlin, East Germany

    

    A photograph documents Brecht and Weigel on the Berliner Ensemble roof during International Workers' Day demonstrations in East Berlin. The source provides year-level precision only.

24. Final stay in Buckow

    1956-01-01 · Brecht-Weigel-Haus, Buckow, Brandenburg, Germany

    

    In the final summer of his life, Brecht spent two months in Buckow before returning to his Berlin apartment for medical treatment. Quoted source is in German. It says that after a two-month stay in Buckow, Brecht returned to his Berlin apartment in early August 1956.

25. Death in East Berlin

    1956-08-14 · East Berlin, East Germany

    

    Brecht died of a heart attack in East Berlin at age 58, shortly after returning from Buckow. Coordinates mark Brecht's Chausseestraße residential area in Berlin-Mitte; the infobox supplies the city-level death location.