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The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

By Bertolt Brecht
Series: Modern Plays
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, by Bertolt Brecht, is a sharp and darkly humorous satire that allegorises Adolf Hitler's rise to power through the story of a small-time Chicago gangster seizing control of the city's greengrocery trade in the 1930s. Combining Brecht's epic theatre techniques with black comedy and direct political commentary, it draws on influences from Al Capone to Shakespeare's Richard III.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in political satire, theatre history, and those fascinated by allegories of totalitarianism and power. Suitable for students and enthusiasts of classic and innovative drama.

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This scathing satire and parable transposes the rise of Hitler to gangland Chicago and continues to have relevance wherever totalitarianism appears today.

This scathing satire and parable transposes the rise of Hitler to gangland Chicago and continues to have relevance wherever totalitarianism appears today.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Described by Brecht as 'a gangster play that would recall certain events familiar to us all', Arturo Ui is a witty and savage satire of the rise of Hitler. Brecht recasts it into a fictional, small-time Chicago gangster's takeover of the city's greengrocery trade in the 1930s. The satirical allegory combines Brecht's Epic style of theatre with black comedy and overt didacticism.

Using a wide range of parody and pastiche—from Al Capone to Shakespeare's Richard III and Goethe's Faust—Brecht's compelling parable continues to have relevance wherever totalitarianism appears today.

Written during the Second World War in 1941, the play was one of the Berliner Ensemble's most outstanding box-office successes in 1959, and has continued to attract a succession of major actors, including Leonard Rossiter, Christopher Plummer, Antony Sher and Al Pacino.

This version of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is by Canadian theatre academic Jennifer Wise.

Series: Modern Plays

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised by The Guardian as a fusion of the American gangster movie and Shakespearean drama, the play is recognised for its witty and impactful storytelling.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781408179932

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 February 2013

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Methuen Drama

Contributors:

  • Translated by Jennifer Wise

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 122g

Pages: 112

Collections

Arts & Culture Bertolt Brecht Non-Fiction Series: Modern Plays

About the Author

Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is acknowledged as one of the great dramatists whose plays, work with the Berliner Ensemble and writing have had a considerable influence on the theatre.

Jennifer Wise is Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre at the University of Victoria, Canada. Her books include Dionysus Writes: The Invention of Theatre in Ancient Greece, The Broadview Anthology of Drama (as co-editor) and Hudson’s Bay Journals (as illustrator). Her essays are published in such venues as Theater der Zeit Recherchen, Reader’s Digest, Theatre Survey and Arethusa.

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