A new translation of Brecht's classic play by one of the leading dramatists of our time, Mark Ravenhill.

Arguably Brecht's greatest play, A Life of Galileo charts the seventeenth century scientist's extraordinary fight with the church over his assertion that the earth orbits the sun. The figure of Galileo, whose ‘heretical’ discoveries about the solar system brought him to the attention of the Inquisition, is one of Brecht’s more human and complex creations. Temporarily silenced by the Inquisition’s threat of torture, and forced to abjure his theories publicly, Galileo continues to work in private, eventually smuggling his work out of the country. Brecht's beautiful depiction of the explosive struggle between scientific discovery and religious fundamentalism is captured masterfully in this new translation by RSC writer-in-residence, Mark Ravenhill.

"Ravenhill has more to say, and says it more refreshingly and wittily, than any other playwright of his generation" - Time Out

"There are few stage authors writing more interestingly than Mark Ravenhill . . . He is . . . a searing, intelligent, disturbing sociologist with a talent for satirical dialogue and a flair for sexual sensationalism." - Financial Times

"The real pleasure of ... Mark Ravenhill's slimmed-down translation lies in the absolute clarity with which [he] put[s] Brecht's masterpiece before us ... the real joy lies in seeing Brecht's timeless debate about scientific morality rendered with such pellucid swiftness." - Guardian

"Lively and ultimately moving ... Ravenhill’s nifty and highly theatrical script, which pares down Brecht’s sometimes interminable speeches while retaining their essence" - Telegraph

"A sharp new adaptation by Mark Ravenhill that emphasises the dark comedy and diversely rich theatrical inventiveness in a piece that Brecht kept revising" - Independent