Baal - Bertolt Brecht Collected Plays, Vol 1 : Part 1 Author:Bertolt Brecht, John Willett BAAL, which renowned playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) wrote when he was in college, is the provocative story of a drunken, ruthless, womanizing poet and singer, a desperate antihero in the tradition of Villon and Rimbaud. The NEW YORK TIMES called the first American production "strong stuff, both horrible and fascinating".