The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

and work had emphasised the seriousness with which Brecht had studied Marxism in
developing the themes of his plays, as well as his refined concepts of theatre and
performance, for Fuegi, these characteristics were clear evidence of plagiarism by Brecht,
who, he suggested, never understood the political ideas that his collaborators had
poured into his plays. 31
The publication of Fuegi’s book set off a whirlwind of controversy in academic settings
as well as the mainstream press. Four Brecht scholars jointly issued a 100‐page rebuttal,
which sought to refute Fuegi’s suggestions chapter by chapter. 32 This reply to Fuegi was
published in the annual Brecht Yearbook series that John Fuegi formerly edited.
Defending him against Fuegi’s charges, Willett, long‐time Brecht editor and translator,
whose writings since 1956 did much to promote Brecht’s reputation in the English‐
speaking world, argued against the charge of plagiarism. He pointed out that
collaborative and collective work had been part of the spirit of Brecht’s times. Frederic
Jameson also presented this argument, and suggested that that Fuegi’s attack was
“essentially political”. For Jameson, Fuegi seemed to present a “case of market‐led
individualism” desperate to denounce the “truly revolutionary collective experience”
that reached its zenith in the 1960s. 33
While assessments of literary texts and the lives of their authors have been a feature of
academic literary studies, there is no doubt that the disputes and contests over the facts
and meaning of Brecht’s literary life spilled over into the public sphere of theatre and
cultural criticism. Sometimes, biographical exposés and the public controversies that
Press, 1987). In Brecht’s spirit of collaborative work, the IBS hopes that this website will function as
a clearinghouse, facilitating international contacts and exchanges
31 See Bob Wake, ‘Brecht and Company: A Review’
32 James K Lyon, John Willett, Siegfried Mews, and H. C. Nørregaard, ‘A Brechtbuster Goes Bust:
Scholarly Mistakes, Misquotes, and Malpractices in John Fuegi’s Brecht and Company’, in John
Willett (guest ed), Silberman and Maarten van Dijk with Roswitha Mueller, Antony Tatlow, Carl
Weber (managing eds), Brecht Then and Now/ Brecht damals und heute (Madison: International
Brecht Society, No 20 1995), pp 259‐367.
33 Frederic Jameson, Brecht and Method (London: Verso, 1999); David Edgar, ‘Each scene for itself’,
London Review of Books, Vol 21, No 5 (4 March 1999).
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