Brecht's series of twenty-four interconnected playlets describe events
which took place in ordinary German households in the 1930s. They
dramatise with clinical precision the suspicion and anxiety experienced
by ordinary people, particularly Jewish citizens, as the power of Hitler
grew.
Written in exile in Denmark and first staged in 1938 it was inspired in
part by his recent trip to Moscow where he had been researching tasks
for the anti-Nazi effort.
This Student Edition features an extensive introduction and commentary
and includes: a chronology of the Brecht's life and work; a synopsis of
each playlet; an introduction to the context of the play; commentary on
themes, characters, style and language; a review of the play in
performance; notes on individual words and phrases in the text, and
questions for further study.