A Nordic Verfremdung – Bertolt Brecht’s Exile in Denmark, Sweden and Finland 1933–1941
In: A Cultural History of the Avant-Garde in the Nordic Countries 1925-1950Search for other papers by Rikard Schönström in
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Abstract
The essay gives a brief account of Brecht’s years of exile in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Central to this story were his close relations with a number of cultural figures in the Nordic countries. The essay also discusses the way Brecht’s writing was transformed during his Nordic exile. It focuses on the fact that he wrote some of his best-known plays and developed his famous theory of Verfremdung while living in the Nordic countries. Last but not least, the essay tries to assess Brecht’s influence on contemporary Nordic literature and theatre. The conclusion is that he was received in the Nordic countries as a political writer rather than as a representative of the European avant-garde, and that very few in Denmark, Sweden and Finland had a clear understanding of his epic theatre.