Baal

The dramatic debut "Baal," which has so far been regarded as a brilliant work without lasting impact, is presented in a new light: In three distinct versions that largely differ from the text known today, the poet's development is reflected. The first version, created in 1918 in Augsburg, serves as a disillusioning response to Johst's grave drama "Der Einsame," with Brecht partially adopting its narrative structure. In the second version from 1919, he distances himself from the subject of his polemic and allows for the unrestricted development of his own language. For the Berlin performance in February 1926, Brecht describes the life story of the man Baal in a dramatic biography. Baal is now situated as a mechanic in a car workshop; the familiar Augsburg environment has given way to the coldness of a technized world.