Bertolt Brecht

Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatrical reformer who pioneered the concept of 'epic theatre,' using drama as a social and ideological forum to critique capitalism and promote leftist causes. Born in Augsburg in 1898, he fled Germany in 1933 due to the rise of Nazism, lived in exile across Europe and the United States, and returned to East Berlin in 1947 where he founded the Berliner Ensemble. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential dramatists of the 20th century, with notable works including 'Mother Courage and Her Children' and 'The Threepenny Opera'.