The Days Grow Short covers Kurt Weill’s life and musical career from his childhood and his studies with Busoni through his early concert works, his collaborations with Bertolt Brecht (The Threepenny Opera, Mahagonny,etc.), his life with Lotte Lenya, and his Broadway years (One Touch of Venus, Street Scene, etc.).

Although Weill’s music enjoys a timeless popularity, it was firmly rooted in the shifting social, political, and artistic climates in which he worked. Sanders’ thorough understanding of these climates and his sincere love of his subject enlivens his vivid account of Weill’s life and work.

Ronald Sanders was the author of numerous books including Lost Tribes and the Promised Lands, Reflections on a Teapot, The Downtown Jews, Israel: The View from Masada, and Shores of Refuge. His articles appeared in The New York Times, Commentary, The New Republic, and The Nation