The Business Affairs of Mr Julius Caesar

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Literary
Cover of the book The Business Affairs of Mr Julius Caesar by Bertolt Brecht, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bertolt Brecht ISBN: 9781472582744
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: January 28, 2016
Imprint: Methuen Drama Language: English
Author: Bertolt Brecht
ISBN: 9781472582744
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: January 28, 2016
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Language: English

Bertolt Brecht's extraordinary historical novel presents an aspiring scholar's efforts to write an idealized life of Julius Caesar twenty years after his death. But the historian abandons his planned biography, confronted by a baffling range of contradictory views. Was Caesar an opportunist, a permanently bankrupt businessman who became too big for the banks to allow him to fail – as his former banker claims? Did he stumble into power while trying to make money, as suggested by the diary of his former slave? Across these different versions of Caesar's career in the political and economic life of Rome, Brecht wryly contrasts the narratives of imperial progress with the reality of grasping self-interest, in a sly allegory that points to the Weimar Republic and perhaps even to our own times.

Brecht reminds his readers of the need for constant vigilance and critical suspicion towards the great figures of the past. In an echo of his dramatic theories, the audience is confronted with its own task of active interpretation rather than passive acceptance -- we have to work out our own views about Mr Julius Caesar.

This edition is translated by Charles Osborne and features an introduction and editorial notes by Anthony Phelan and Tom Kuhn.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Bertolt Brecht's extraordinary historical novel presents an aspiring scholar's efforts to write an idealized life of Julius Caesar twenty years after his death. But the historian abandons his planned biography, confronted by a baffling range of contradictory views. Was Caesar an opportunist, a permanently bankrupt businessman who became too big for the banks to allow him to fail – as his former banker claims? Did he stumble into power while trying to make money, as suggested by the diary of his former slave? Across these different versions of Caesar's career in the political and economic life of Rome, Brecht wryly contrasts the narratives of imperial progress with the reality of grasping self-interest, in a sly allegory that points to the Weimar Republic and perhaps even to our own times.

Brecht reminds his readers of the need for constant vigilance and critical suspicion towards the great figures of the past. In an echo of his dramatic theories, the audience is confronted with its own task of active interpretation rather than passive acceptance -- we have to work out our own views about Mr Julius Caesar.

This edition is translated by Charles Osborne and features an introduction and editorial notes by Anthony Phelan and Tom Kuhn.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book American Indian Tribes of the Southwest by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Fixing the System by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Stone Kingdoms by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book The Night Watch by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book German Flak Defences vs Allied Heavy Bombers by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Fronto: Selected Letters by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Semper Fidelis by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Butterfly Wishes 4: Spring Shine Sparkles by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book MacArthur’s Air Force by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Little Nelson by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book He 111 Kampfgeschwader on the Russian Front by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book R.E.M.'s Murmur by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Roman Army Units in the Western Provinces (1) by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Museums and Communities by Bertolt Brecht
Cover of the book Eleanor Rigby by Bertolt Brecht
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy