Utopia

Thomas More, Dominic Baker-Smith, Dominic Baker-Smith , Dominic Baker-Smith

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English

Penguin
21 November 2012

Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Western philosophy: Medieval & Renaissance, c 500 to c 1600; Social & political philosophy; Political science & theory

A major new translation by Dominic Baker-Smith of More's perenially popular Latin text

'Even if you can't eradicate harmful ideas or remedy established evils, that's no reason to turn your back on the body politic'

Utopia is Thomas More's work of philosophical fiction, imagining the island of the title, on which thousands live in peace and harmony. Through dialogue and correspondence between Raphael Hythloday and his friends and contemporaries, More explores the theories behind war, political disagreements, social quarrels and wealth distribution, and goes into the day to day lives of those citizens enjoying freedom from fear, oppression, violence and suffering. This vision of an ideal world is also a scathing satire of Europe in the sixteenth century which has been hugely influential since publication, shaping utopian fiction even to the present day.

By: Thomas More
Introduction by: Dominic Baker-Smith
Edited by: Dominic Baker-Smith
Translated by: Dominic Baker-Smith
Imprint: Penguin
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 196mm, Width: 128mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 140g
ISBN: 9780141442327
ISBN 10: 0141442328
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 21 November 2012
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Thomas More was born a Londoner in 1477 or 1478. He served as a page, then studied at Oxford, was called to the bar and subsequently had a highly successful career in the City. Sent on an embassy to Flanders in 1515, he began Utopia there and completed it back in London. From 1528 he actively resisted innovation in religious matters and clashed with Henry VIII over his break with the Church. In July 1535, after he refused to accept the royal supremacy over the church, he was tried as a traitor at Westminster Hall and beheaded on Tower Hill. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935. Dominic Baker-Smith has been a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge; Professor of English at University College, Cardiff; and is now Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam. In addition to various publications on English and Neo-Latin literature he is the author of More's 'Utopia' (1991, 2000) and has edited three volumes in the Toronto Collected Works of Erasmus. He has served as Chairman of the Society for Renaissance Studies and was appointed OBE in 1999.