The version of Bertolt Brecht's Galileo that I had wasn't great for me. I enjoyed the translation and play itself but it begins with a long, dense introduction by Eric Bentley.
I'm a bit of a completionist so I suppose it's my own fault for sticking it through. He talks a lot about Marxist theory, which is not bad in and of itself but his treatment was very academic and dry for what I was in the mood for. Perhaps in a university setting? I was fearful that the play itself would be inaccessible. He also makes references to two versions of the play, while the book only contains one.
Fortunately I quite enjoyed the play and didn't find it dry or tedious at all. There were important themes, but there was also humour. While the introduction skewed me towards a Marxist analysis, really the play could be about anyone who defends or threatens a status quo.
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