Private or Public? The Bertolt Brecht Archive as an Object of Desire

Summary

In the Story “Die Freiherren von Gemperlein” (The Barons of Gemperlein, 1879), one of Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach’s characters asks “Wo sind die Schlüssel des Archivs?” (Where are the keys to the archive?). Figuratively, these keys stand for access to the archive, which is determined by archivists, heirs, rights-holders, owners, administrative institutions, and also by states. The relations between the parties involved are usually regulated by contracts, and infringements of these contracts and differences over their interpretation are by no means the exception. For a start, there is the question as to who is actually to be granted access to an archive. Is only a particular clientele allowed in? Do users have to meet certain conditions by proving their scholarly competence or interests, supplying a letter from their supervisor confirming their research topic, paying fees, or belonging to a particular state or family? Once a user has gained entry to an archive, the accessibility of archive materials depends on whether they can be found, and this depends in turn on the quality of the catalogues and the commitment and expertise of the staff. Details that were not recorded during the cataloguing process are only disclosed when a user of the archive orders the documents and is presented with them. And even here, users encounter restrictions in every archive: there are some documents that have to remain in the stacks for reasons of conservation. There are sources to which access is limited due to copyright, property, or privacy laws. And there are items or entire archives to which political authorities deny users access, if they do not destroy them entirely.

This essay is concerned first and foremost with problems of accessibility that are rooted in sociopolitical matters. On 1 December 1956, a good quarter of a year after Brecht’s death, Helene Weigel founded the Bertolt Brecht Archive with the agreement of their children Barbara and Stefan as well as Brecht’s daughter Hanne. From the very moment of its inception it was a political issue, and at times, particularly after the death of Helene Weigel, it was even a site of real struggle.