Geoffrey Chaucer - Contos de Cantuária

The most important text of the European medieval period, which defined all literature as we know it today.
Written between 1386 and 1389, the 24 stories that make up The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the style of the great medieval narratives and powerfully describe English society at the time.

A group of pilgrims is staying at an inn and is challenged to a storytelling contest with a free lunch at the establishment as the prize upon their return from Canterbury, for a visit to the tomb of St. Thomas Becket. The pilgrims' stories constitute a remarkable portrait of a society that is both distant and close to our own, allowing for various levels of reading and interpretation. They also contribute to establishing the foundations of modern narrative in the storytelling mechanisms they employ and in the strategies and forms of establishing dialogue.

The work was constructed in the likeness of Boccaccio's Decameron, which Chaucer is said to have read during his diplomatic mission to Italy in 1372. This classic of world literature has inspired operas and adaptations for theater, television, and film, among which, in the latter case, the film directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger – a mixture of comedy, drama, and mystery – and the film by Pier Paolo Pasolini stand out. Also noteworthy is a famous musical tribute by Sting.

The E-Primatur edition features a translation by the award-winning poet and translator Daniel Jonas and illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones, prepared for Kelmscott Press, founded by the celebrated writer William Morris.