John Willett was a translator and a scholar who is famous for translating the work of Bertolt Brecht into English. He was born on June 24, 1917, and died August 20, 2002. He was 85.

Early life

Willett was educated at Winchester and Christ Church, Oxford. He went on to the Manchester College of Art and dance, and then to Vienna, where he studied music (Willett played the cello), and stage design.

Willett began his career as a Theatre Designer. However, this career was cut short by World War II. He served in Intelligence and the Eighth Army, in North Africa and Italy. After being de-mobalized, Willett worked first for the Manchester Guardian from 1948 to 1951, and then 1960 he became the deputy to Arthur Crook, the editor of The Times Literary Supplement. Willett stayed there until 1967.

Later life

Willett became a freelance writer, an editor and translator, a Theatre director, and a visiting professor and lecturer. He became famous in academic circles for his patient work and careful research in translation, especially in German culture and politics.

Brecht

Willett's love of Brecht began in the 1930's. Willett first studied Brecht's theatre design work. After the war, Willett became friends with Brecht himself, although it is said that the friendship got off to a bad start due to a disagreement about the Hitler-Stalin pact, but got back on track after they discovered that they were both interested in Tacitus.

Willett worked on English translations for many of Brecht's plays, including:

• Life of Galileo
• The Good Person of Setzuan
• The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
• Mother Courage and Her Children

Bibliography

• Willett, John. 1967. The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht: A Study from Eight Aspects. Third rev. ed. London: Methuen, 1977. ISBN 041334360X.
• ---. 1978. Art and Politics in the Weimar Period: The New Sobriety 1917-1933. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0306807246.
• ---. 1998. Brecht in Context: Comparative Approaches. Rev. ed. London: Methuen. ISBN 0413723100.