In The Dark Times (Bertolt Brecht)

“And in the dark times, will there also be singing? Yes, there will be singing about the dark times.”

This passage from acclaimed poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) comes from the introductory motto to his 1939 Svendbord Poems, a collection of verses published after Brecht had fled Nazi Germany for Denmark. The Nazi crackdown on dissident artists had been in full swing. As fascism crept along and all-out war in Europe seemed imminent, Brecht moved to Sweden, then Finland, then the United States.

Continuing to create works that connected politics and culture from a Marxist and working class perspective, Brecht was soon blacklisted in the U.S. as well. His innovative use of drama as a form for advances the causes of liberation was dangerous to authorities the world over. In 1947 at the beginning of the Red Scare, he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, poked fun at the proceedings, and then fled back to Europe the next day.

Brecht’s motto, depicted in this poster by a bright campfire underneath a burning sky amidst a sea of darkness, demonstrates that art and culture always remains central to the resistance against fascism and misery.

This poster is printed on a medium-weight matte stock – with extra crispness and detail compared to our standard feltweave poster stock.