The novel Trutz Simplex of the baroque author Grimmelshausen inspired one of the most popular female main characters of the Brechtian epic theatre, namely the protagonist of the drama Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder. This play is evident proof of Brecht’s interest in the German baroque novelist and at the same time one of the most creative and unconventional contributions to the rediscovery of his work in the 20th century. The figure of Courage and the central theme of war which the drama and the novel have in common render the connection between the two authors explicit enough. However, the relationship Brecht established with Grimmelshausen is deeper and more complex than a series of superficial points of contacts which can be found in their literary production. By retracing the references to the baroque novelist in Brecht’s drafts and programmatic writings, it can be proved that Grimmelshausen’s oeuvre was not only a thematic source of inspiration for the Augsburger playwright, but also played a role in his poetological and socio-cultural reflection. The aim of this article is to outline the meaning of Brecht’s Grimmelshausen-reception in the theoretical program of epic theatre and, more generally, in Brecht’s aesthetic research.
