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  • Published: 15 May 2010
  • ISBN: 9780812978452
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 672
  • RRP: $49.99

The Canterbury Tales




In the tradition of Robert Fagles' The Odyssey and Seamus Heaney's Beowulf, Burton Raffel's major new translation of The Canterbury Tales, now in paperback.

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 Modern Library 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.

  • Published: 15 May 2010
  • ISBN: 9780812978452
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 672
  • RRP: $49.99

Other books in the series

Emma
Persuasion
A Dog's Heart
The Black Tulip
The Lady of the Camellias
Selected Poetry
On Sparta
Man and Superman
Saint Joan
Botchan
Kusamakura
Love
Annals
Selected Poems
Military Dispatches

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Praise for The Canterbury Tales

"Ambitious....Modern students have no problem relating to Chaucer. The problem is that they can't read him....[The Canterbury Tales] is the most approachable masterpiece of the medieval world, and Mr. Raffel's translation makes the stories even more inviting." - Wall Street Journal

"Chaucer's raunchy, rowdy 14th century tales about pilgrims, courtly love, and treachery--collected in Burton Raffel's beautiful unabridged translation--continue to thrill after 700 years." - Entertainment Weekly

"Translating Chaucer's masterpiece is a Herculean feat....[Burton Raffel] gives readers access to [its] mysteries." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review