When German-Jewish composer Kurt Weill arrived in the United States in 1935, he found a nation nothing like he imagined. This book tells the full story of Weill

"Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear, And he shows them pearly white. Just a jackknife has Macheath, dear, And he keeps it out of sight. The words are by Berto

Selected letters trace the relationship of the composer and actress, who were married for twenty-four years

Offers coverage of Weill's life that is informed by a knowledge of the shifting cultural and political climates in which he worked.

“This book, the first scholarly consideration of Weill’s complete output of stage works, is without doubt the most important critical study of the composer�