The Canterbury Tales Lib/E
Beyond its importance as a literary work of unvarnished genius, Geoffrey Chaucer's unfinished epic poem is also one of the most beloved works in the English language-and for good reason: it is lively, absorbing, perceptive, and outrageously funny. But despite the brilliance of Chaucer's work, the continual evolution of our language has rendered his words unfamiliar to many of us. Esteemed poet, translator, and scholar Burton Raffel's magnificent new unabridged translation brings Chaucer's poetry back to life, ensuring that none of the original's wit, wisdom, or humanity is lost to the modern reader. This edition also features an introduction by the widely influential medievalist and author John Miles Foley that discusses Chaucer's work as well as his life and times.
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Barbara Cooney is one of the most well-loved authors and illustrators of children's books today. She has won many awards for her books, including the American Book Award and two Caldecott Medals for Illustration. Ms. Cooney lives in Damariscotta, Maine.
Ric Jerrom is an actor, writer, and-occasionally-director. He has also narrated audiobooks in genres from classics to romantic fiction to mystery and suspense, winning three AudioFile Earphones Awards and placing as a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award. He has written plays, film scripts, short stories, poetry, and journalism. He has performed in many radio plays, sundry theaters, and internationally for the Natural Theatre Company of Bath.
Cameron Stewart has toured in My Grandfather's Great War, which was nominated for Best Solo Show by the Stage. He has appeared on television in The Turn of the Screw, All Saints, The Inbetweeners, Home and Away, Fallen Angel, Coronation Street, and Young Lions.
Bill Wallace has recorded hundreds of books for the National Library Service's Talking Books Program for the blind and physically handicapped under the auspices of the Library of Congress. He won the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Award for Nonfiction in 2001 and the Canadian Torgi Talking Book of the Year Award in 1996 and again in 2003. He was nominated for an Audie(R) Award in 1998.
Mark Meadows is an actor and audiobook narrator. He can be heard on the radio broadcasts of Lost Souls and The Worst Journey in the World, both first aired for BBC Radio. On television, he has appeared as Reverend Wallace in EastEnders. He also has extensive credits as a composer and arranger.
Maggie Ollerenshaw's theater work is extensive, ranging from several Alan Ayckbourn roles, to Martha in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Similarly, her many television credits cover Open All Hours and The House of Eliott, to a BAFTA nomination for her performance in Last of the Summer Wine. She has written for radio and has written and performed a one-woman musical play about Vera Lynn titled Yours Sincerely.
The Canterbury Tales has remained popular for seven centuries. It is the most approachable masterpiece of the medieval world, and Mr. Raffel's translation makes the stories even more inviting.
-- "Wall Street Journal"Masterly...This new translation beckons us to make our own pilgrimage back to the very wellsprings of literature in our language.
-- "Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate"Chaucer's blend of humour, realism, philosophical depth, poetic virtuosity, and masterful control of dialogue and character was never matched...As a storyteller, he is supreme.
-- "Cambridge Guide to Literature in English"Chaucer's genius is such that the tales reveal the personalities of their tellers...the pilgrims grow as distinct personalities as they converse and argue between stories.
-- "Frank N. Magill, editor, Masterpieces of World Literature"A delight...[Raffel's translation] provides more opportunities to savor the counterpoint of Chaucer's earthy humor against passages of piercingly beautiful lyric poetry.
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
