In the first in a new series of brief biographies, bestsellingauthor Peter Ackroyd brilliantly evokes the medieval world ofEngland and provides an incomparable introduction to the greatpoet’s works.
Geoffrey Chaucer, who died in 1400, lived a surprisingly eventfullife. He served with the Duke of Clarence and with Edward III, andin 1359 was taken prisoner in France and ransomed. Through hiswife, Philippa, he gained the patronage of John of Gaunt, whichhelped him carve out a career at Court. His posts includedController of Customs at the Port of London, Knight of the Shirefor Kent, and King's Forester. He went on numerous adventurousdiplomatic missions to France and Italy. Yet he was also indictedfor rape, sued for debt, and captured in battle.
He began to write in the 1360s, and is now known as the father ofEnglish poetry. His Troilus and Criseyde is the firstexample of modern English literature, and his masterpiece, TheCanterbury Tales, the forerunner of the English novel,dominated the last part of his life.
In his lively style, Peter Ackroyd, one of the most acclaimedbiographers and novelists writing today, brings us an eye-openingportrait, rich in drama and colorful historical detail, of aprolific, multifaceted genius.
【作者简介】
PETER ACKROYD is the author of the recent bestselling booksLondon and the award-winning Life of Thomas More. Hisearly works include The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde, whichreceived the Somerset Maugham Award; Hawksmoor, winner ofboth the Whitbread Novel of the Year and the GuardianFiction Award; and Chatterton, which was short-listed forthe Booker Prize. His most recent novel, The ClerkenwellTales, is a thriller set in medieval London, which wasinspired by his Chaucer short biography. He lives in London,England, and is completing his Shakespeare biography and a newnovel.
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