Drums in the Night

Book Review

"Drums in the Night" by Bertolt Brecht is a work in which the anxious rhythm of postwar Germany resounds in every dialogue, in every glance of the characters. Brecht masterfully weaves motifs of alienation and inner struggle into the fabric of the play, contrasting the personal drama of the returned soldier Krause with the cold, almost mechanical reality of a society that has lost its illusions. Critics note that in this play, the young Brecht already displays his characteristic irony and social sharpness: beneath the apparent simplicity of the plot lies a deep conflict between past and present, between hope and disappointment. The language of the play is laconic but rich in subtext, and the characters are vivid, contradictory, and filled with inner tension. "Drums in the Night" is not only a chronicle of its time but also a subtle reflection on human nature, the price of compromise, and the inevitability of change, which makes the play relevant even today.