Literary Encyclopedia

Bertolt Brecht: Leben des Galilei [The Life of Galileo]

  • Alfred D. White (University of Cardiff)

This is the first of the major plays Brecht wrote in the hope of securing performances in important theatres of the Western world. In these plays, Marxist theory and communist practice are not referred to overtly, though messages about the inequities of capitalist world are intended. Galileo, the historical drama, was in Brecht’s view the least innovative, a step backward from the preceding didactic plays, but it still offers a great deal.

The first version, written in November 1938, revised early in 1939, was premiered in Zurich on 9 September 1943. A second version in English, created by Brecht and Charles Laughton in 1944/45, was performed in Beverly Hills on 31 July 1947. Translated into German by Elisabeth Hau

This article in full comprises 2458 words but only the first 150 or so words are available to non-members. All our articles have been written recently by experts in their field, more than 95% of them university professors. To read about membership, please click here.

First published 16 February 2005

Citation: White, Alfred D.. "Leben des Galilei [The Life of Galileo]". The Literary Encyclopedia. 16 February 2005

[http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11581, accessed 30 July 2010.]

 

Life, Works and Times

Dates:

  • 1943 (Published)

Places:

  • Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes:

  • Play