Utopia
Published on 8. November 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-78478-760-8 (ISBN)
Description
Five hundred years since its first publication, Thomas More's Utopia remains astonishingly radical and provocative. More imagines an island nation where thousands live in peace and harmony, men and women are both educated, and property is communal. In a text hovering between fantasy, satire, blueprint and game, More explores the theories and realities behind war, political conflicts, social tensions and redistribution, and imagines the day-to-day lives of a citizenry living free from fear, oppression, violence and suffering.
But there has always been a shadow at the heart of Utopia. If this is a depiction of the perfect state, why, as well as wonder, does it provoke a growing unease?
In this quincentenary edition, published in conjunction with Somerset House, More's text is introduced by multi-award-winning author China Mieville and accompanied by four essays from Ursula K. Le Guin, today's most distinguished utopian writer and thinker.
But there has always been a shadow at the heart of Utopia. If this is a depiction of the perfect state, why, as well as wonder, does it provoke a growing unease?
In this quincentenary edition, published in conjunction with Somerset House, More's text is introduced by multi-award-winning author China Mieville and accompanied by four essays from Ursula K. Le Guin, today's most distinguished utopian writer and thinker.
Reviews / Votes
We can't do without this book. We are all and have always been Thomas More's children. -- China Mieville I am offered the Grand Inquisitor's choice. Will you choose freedom without happiness, or happiness without freedom? The only answer one can make, I think, is: No. -- Ursula K. Le GuinMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 211 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
284 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78478-760-8 (9781784787608)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) was a counsellor to Henry VIII of England and a revered Renaissance humanist scholar. He was executed for refusing to acknowledge the king as head of the Church of England and was eventually canonized by the Catholic Church as a result.
Ursula K. Le Guin is the author of twenty-two novels, four collections of essays, seven books of poetry, twelve children's books and over a hundred short stories.
China Mieville is the award-winning author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including the The City and The City and This Census-Taker.
Ursula K. Le Guin is the author of twenty-two novels, four collections of essays, seven books of poetry, twelve children's books and over a hundred short stories.
China Mieville is the award-winning author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including the The City and The City and This Census-Taker.