This long review of Bertolt Brecht: A Literary Life in the New Criterion (subscription required) offers some thoroughly unappetizing details of the writer’s life and personality, with Dalrymple concluding: “Practically his entire oeuvre could be construed as an attempt transcendentally to exculpate his own vile conduct and character.”
The Skeptical Doctor
Dedicated to the work of Theodore Dalrymple
Relieved to rule out reading Mr. Brecht. I’ve avoided any exposure to him thusfar, but his alliterative name may have enticed me, hoch der Dr. D.
Just wanted to relay that subscription is not required to view this article at least for now. I think it would be helpful to add this fact to the original posting as many people are dissuaded from clicking on the link with that qualifier.
I can confirm Malik’s comment that subscription is NOT required as of even date (as they used to say). This article is required reading by anyone who, like me, suffered having to learn The Caucasian Chalk Circle at school from an enthusiastic ‘liberal’ English teacher. Mack the Knife remains a classic for me though – “and his teeth .. pearly white”! How the shower curtain shudders when I ring out those words in my best bathroom baritone.