Life of Galileo

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by Bertolt Brecht,

Edited by Ralph Manheim,

Translated by John Willett

Little, Brown & Company

Due/Published July 1994, 266 pages, paper

ISBN 1559702540

Life of Galileodepicts one of Brecht's most compelling creations: the great Renaissance scientist in a brutal struggle for freedom from authoritarian dogma. Unable to resist his appetite for scientific investigation, Galileo comes into conflict with the Inquisition and must publicly abjure his theories, though in private he goes on working. Ranking alongside Mother Courage and Mr. Puntila, Galileo is one of Brecht's truly brilliant chatacters--immensely alive, human, and complex.

Commissioned and authorized by the Brecht estate Arcade's definitive edition contains a newly revised translation by John Willett and an introduction by the joint editors of Brecht's complete dramatic work in English, John Willett and Ralph Manheim. The appendix provides Brecht's own notes and relevant texts as well as a version of the play jointly prepared by Brecht and Charles Laughton, who starred in the 1947 Hollywood production.