The Canterbury Tales
About this audiobook
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.
Ratings and reviews
About the author
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400), English poet, was the son of a London vintner. He was married and held a number of positions at court and in the king’s service, including diplomat, controller of customs in the port of London, and deputy forester in the King’s Forest in Somerset. He was buried in the Poets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey where a monument was erected to him in 1555.
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® Award in 1998.
Kim Hicks has developed and performed in several critically acclaimed one-woman shows which have toured numerous venues throughout the country. She has read poems and short stories for Radio 4, while her theater work includes Viola in Twelfth Night, Nora in A Doll’s House, and the Midwife in The Choice. Her film appearances include Leon the Pig Farmer.
Mark Meadows is an experienced narrator and actor who has narrated over 100 audiobooks. His works include the 2013 Man Booker Prize winner The Luminaries as well as voice work for Ridley Scott's Prometheus. In addition to his extensive theater, film, and television credits, he frequently contributes to plays, musicals, and readings for BBC Radio 3 and 4.
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.
