Chaucer

Brief Lives

Peter Ackroyd

$32.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Vintage
01 June 2005

Biography; Biography: general; Literary studies: classical, early & medieval; Literary studies: poetry & poets

'Ackroyd reinvented the biography genre, pushing at the boundaries...he pulls off the feat of climbing inside Chaucer's soul by immersing himself in the history and literature of the period' Scotland on Sunday

Geoffrey Chaucer has some claim to being the greatest poet in the English language. Yet he has also been considered to be an invisible poet, self-depreciating and ironic, leaving only the breath of his comedy behind. In truth a great deal is known of him. He was a royal servant, who was indicted for rape. He was captured in battle and held for ransom. He knew at first hand the most powerful people in the country and, as the king's servant; he was concerned with the most pressing events of the realm. Yet even in this crowded life he found time and opportunity to write some of the finest poems in the language. Troilus and Criseyde is the first modern work of English literature. His genius was prolific and diverse and, while he was a true London artist, he was also part of the European renaissance of learning. The Canterbury Tales is an epic of Englishness itself, presided over by the genial and generous figure of Geoffrey Chaucer.

By: Peter Ackroyd
Imprint: Vintage
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 183g
ISBN: 9780099287483
ISBN 10: 009928748X
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 01 June 2005
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Peter Ackroyd's most recent novel is The Clerkenwell Tales, set in Chaucer's London.

Reviews for Chaucer: Brief Lives

Like a bird of biographical prey, Ackroyd identifies his subject in an iconic image of Chaucer addressing the court of Richard II and swoops to investigate -- Iain Finlayson The Times Extensively researched and elegantly written -- Sally Cousins Sunday Telegraph Full, lively and eminently readable -- Laurence Phelan Independent on Sunday Ackroyd's series of short lives bodes well: handy, attractive, well illustrated, useful -- Anne Wroe Sunday Times This elegantly written and nicely judged biography offers a welcome reintroduction to a much-underestimated figure, and gets Ackroyd's new series of Brief Lives off to a promising start Scotsman