'The figure of Galileo, whose ''heretical'' discoveries about the solar system brought him to the attention of the Inquisition, is one Brecht''s most 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. ''One of the greatest poets and dramatists of our century'' (Observer)'