Poetry

Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....

When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017—revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)—critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GLOBAL SENSATION LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY RETURNS . . .   Peck & Peck tells the irresistible story of a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck. Batter Gray is worried about his future....

The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Selected poems from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'These words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary.' - Giovanna Fletcher Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood, capturing everything...

Featuring five exclusive new poems, this stunning foil-embossed hardback edition is a collector's item and a gorgeous gift. The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller. Selected poems on motherhood from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'Reading Jess's poems makes me feel like she's somehow reached into my own personal reflections and articulated them in a way I never could.' –...

Styx: The River is a rich, gleaming jewel of a novel… a heartbreakingly beautiful story of feminine rage and strength, says JENNIFER SAINT. Beginning a generation before Hekate, Styx sings the story of the goddess of the underworld river that bears her name… The firstborn child of Titans, Styx is revered as the first of her kind – until she...

Mythos by Stephen Fry is a compelling retelling of the classic Greek myths, reimagined with a wit and elegance that only Fry can deliver. This volume transports the reader to a world where mortals intertwine with the divine, and the timeless tales unfold in a spellbinding narrative that captures the imagination. From the cosmogony—the birth of the cosmos—to the exploits...

Bestselling author and Instagram sensation Jessica Urlichs returns with a new collection of beautifully observed poems about the ever-evolving journey of motherhood - the hard, the magic and the fleeting. ‘A raw and honest read that makes you feel seen and understood in a way that will bring you to tears.’ - Hilary Swank ‘A book to keep close and...

In this book, you'll discover the root cause of all psychological and emotional suffering and how to achieve freedom of mind to effortlessly create the life you've always wanted to live. Although pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. This book offers a completely new paradigm and understanding of where our human experience comes from, allowing us to end our own...

A collectible new Penguin Classics series offers beautiful, slim, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets. In 1855, Walt Whitman published his first collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. The volume received great praise from leading Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. This encouragement led to what would become a lifelong project, as Whitman expanded and rewrote the volume until his death...

The Odyssey by Homer is a monumental epic that has enthralled readers for centuries with its rich tapestry of adventure and human struggle. It chronicles the perilous journey of Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, as he strives to return home after the fall of Troy. During this ten-year odyssey, Odysseus confronts myriad dangers, both natural and supernatural, that test...

A must-have book for all parents, this illustrated collection of tender, funny, radically honest poems about parenthood, based on a series of popular Instagram posts, is the perfect baby shower or Mother’s Day gift. Modern parenthood can feel indescribable. This poignant collection of poetry and art chronicles the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride that every parent will recognize....

The Iliad, authored by Homer, stands as the greatest literary achievement of Greek civilisation and is now available in a stunning new clothbound edition. The Iliad plunges readers into the throes of the legendary Trojan War. Set during the conflict's final year, this epic poem paints a vivid picture of bloodshed, glory, and the immortal struggles of heroes. The tale...

New York Times Bestseller, chosen as Oprah's 'Books That Help Me Through' for Oprah's Book Club Chosen by Poetry Book Society as their special commendation 'No matter where one starts reading, Devotions offers much to love, from Oliver's exuberant dog poems to selections from the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Primitive, and Dream Work, one of her exceptional collections. Perhaps more important,...

‘A vivid and imaginatively wrought divine world that is monstrous, magical and beautiful. It's a timely and achingly resonant reflection on conflict, fear and the unbreakable bonds of family conveyed in exquisite, evocative poetry.’ – Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Hera and Ariadne ‘In a wholly original, incandescent take on the myth of Hekate, Nikita Gill captures the beauty, brutality...

The great epic of Western literature, translated by the acclaimed classicist Robert Fagles. A Penguin Classic Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, presents us with Homer's best-loved and most accessible poem in a stunning modern-verse translation. "Sing to me of the...

For the last decade, Rob Sears has been painstakingly combing the words of Donald J. Trump for signs of poetry. To the surprise of many, he has found riches. By simply cutting up and reordering lines from Trump's tweets, Truths and transcripts, Sears has unearthed a trove of exquisite verse that was just waiting to be found. In this expanded...

The The Odyssey by Homer is a timeless epic that chronicles the adventures of the legendary Greek hero, Odysseus, as he endeavours to return home to Ithaca following the conclusion of the Trojan War. This monumental journey spans ten arduous years, during which Odysseus encounters a myriad of natural and supernatural challenges. From shipwrecks and ferocious battles to formidable monsters...

From the award-winning translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of Virgil's great epic. Fleeing the ashes of Troy, Aeneas, Achilles' mighty foe in The Iliad, begins an incredible journey to fulfil his destiny as the founder of Rome. His voyage will take him through stormy seas, entangle him in a tragic love affair, and...

A work of tremendous influence that has inspired writers from his ancient Greek contemporaries to modernist writers such as T.S. Eliot, Homer's epic poem The Iliad is translated by Robert Fagles with an introduction and notes by Bernard Knox in Penguin Classics. One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's The Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode...

The Prophet (Hero Classics) by Kahlil Gibran is a timeless masterpiece that delves into the profound conversations of the prophet Al-Mustafa as he prepares to sail back to his homeland after a twelve-year exile. During his final hours in the city of Orphalese, he shares his wisdom with a group of people who gather around him, seeking enlightenment on life's...

"The Illiad" is the culmination of a long-standing oral tradition. The oral technique enabled a master bard like Homer to develop what may historically have been an event of minor importance into a fully fledged epic. So, out of a single episode in the legendary Trojan War - Achilles' withdrawal from the fighting and his return to kill the Trojan...

Celebrate the genius, passion, and poetry of William Shakespeare with this beautifully bound deluxe edition, featuring his complete plays and poems in one timeless collector's volume. No writer has shaped the English language or the human imagination like William Shakespeare. From the unforgettable tragedies of Hamlet and Macbeth to the wit and romance of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much...

The Aeneid by Virgil, inspired by Homer and an inspiration for Dante and Milton, is an immortal poem at the heart of Western life and culture. Virgil chose as his hero Aeneas, the legendary survivor of the fall of Troy and father of the Roman race. In telling a story of dispossession and defeat, love and war, he portrayed human...

Social media sensation Darby Hudson offers this collection of encouraging and humorous reflections to encourage others to continue expressing themselves, no matter what. You're Going to Be OK is a book on art, jobs, magic and muddling through. These hand-typed fragments were gathered by the train tracks at night over ten years, after author Darby Hudson worked meaningless jobs, trying...

The Aeneid by Virgil stands as a monumental work in the annals of literature, a timeless epic that has profoundly influenced Western culture for over two millennia. This exquisite clothbound edition offers a beautiful presentation of Virgil's magnum opus, which not only celebrated the glory of ancient Rome but also explored deep human emotions and experiences. The story follows the...

What is love? It is the gold thread connecting between our hearts. In this light-filled and multi-faceted book, her first since being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, Han Kang draws together the threads of her work and life, tracing the connections between her interior and exterior worlds through a sequence of essays, poems, photographs and diaries. A book of...

The story centres on the critical events in four days of the 10th and final year of the war between the Greeks and Trojans. It describes how the quarrel of Agamemnon and Achilleus sets in motion a tragic sequence of events, which leads to Achilleus' killing of Hektor and determines the ultimate fate of Troy. But Homer's theme is not...

This inspiring collection, curated by the host of the Poetry Unbound, presents fifty poems about what it means to be alive in the world today. Each poem is paired with Pádraig's illuminating commentary that offers personal anecdotes and generous insights into the content of the poem. Engaging, accessible, and inviting, Poetry Unbound is the perfect companion for everyone who loves...

Coming down out of the freezing sky with its depths of light, like an angel, or a buddha with wings, it was beautiful and accurate. -from 'White Owl Flies Into and Out of the Field' Mary Oliver's Owls and Other Fantasies brings together twenty-six of the Pulitzer Prize-winner's poems about the birds that played such an important role in her...

Miraculously preserved on clay tablets dating back as much as four thousand years, the poem of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, is the world's oldest epic, predating Homer by many centuries. The story tells of Gilgamesh's adventures with the wild man Enkidu, and of his arduous journey to the ends of the earth in quest of the Babylonian Noah and the...

THE COMPLETELY UPDATED COLLECTION WITH OVER 70 BRAND NEW POEMS, FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WILD HOPE AND WORDS TO LIVE BY 'Amazing . . . Donna's words speak to my heart' Davina McCall To the Women is a celebration of the beauty, strength, and joy of being a woman. A love letter to our deep capacity...

Robin Kirkpatrick's superb translation of the most famous work of Italian literature, in a one-volume edition. The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide; his ascent of Mount Purgatory and encounter with his dead love, Beatrice; and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced...

In Paradise Lost, Milton produced a poem of epic scale, conjuring up a vast, awe-inspiring cosmos and ranging across huge tracts of space and time. Yet, by placing a charismatic Satan and naked Adam and Eve at the centre of this story, he also created an intensely human tragedy on the Fall of Man. Written when Milton was in his...

In his perfectly crafted haiku poems, Basho described the natural world with great simplicity and delicacy of feeling. These travel writings not only chronicle Basho's perilous journeys through Japan, but they also capture his vision of eternity in the transient world around him. The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches showcases Basho's exceptional ability to portray...

First published in the 1920s, The Prophet, Gibran's hugely popular guide to living, has sold millions of copies worldwide and is the most famous work of religious fiction of the twentieth century. The Prophet became the bible of 1960s culture and was credited with founding the New Age movement, yet it still continues to inspire people around the world today....

A collection of poetry exploring themes of masculinity, love, grief and connection, this is the trade debut from Instagram phenomenon Lucas Jones. For fans of yung pueblo, Hussain Manawer and Whitney Hanson. *THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* A collection of powerful contemporary poetry exploring themes of masculinity, love, grief and connection, from British poet and viral phenomenon Lucas Jones. 'You're...

A timeless and comprehensive anthology of enduring English language poetry, featuring entries from 150 British and American poets, including Alexander Pope, Lord Byron, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Emily Dickinson. The last six hundred years in British and American literature have given us some of the most moving and memorable poems in all literature. Now, discover many of these same...

The 100th title in the phenomenally successful and much-loved Penguin Clothbound Classics series. This selection of Poe's stories, poetry, and other writing demonstrates the astonishing power and imagination with which he probed the darkest corners of the human mind. The Fall of the House of Usher describes the final hours of a family tormented by tragedy and the legacy of...

Beautifully designed clothbound edition of this brilliant translation. Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design. Describing Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life with Virgil as a guide, Inferno depicts a cruel underworld in...

An epic journey of adventure, endurance, and the search for home In The Odyssey, Homer crafts one of the oldest and most influential adventure stories in Western literature. The poem follows Odysseus, the cunning king of Ithaca, as he battles gods, monsters, and temptation on his ten-year quest to return home after the Trojan War. Facing shipwrecks, the wrath of...

A stunning gift edition of the age-old tale of Odysseus and his journey. This epic poem by Homer, believed to have been written between the eighth and ninth centuries BC, continues to be essential reading for young and old alike. The Odyssey follows the Greek hero Odysseus on a ten-year journey back to his home in Ithaca after fighting in...

Discover and treasure one of the greatest war stories of all time with this luxurious edition of Homer's first great epic, The Iliad. Find yourself swept right into the emotion of the action and characters, including Achilles, Helen, Hector, and other heroes of Greek myth, as they endure the tenth and final year of the Greek siege of Troy. This...

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WILD HOPE "Donna Ashworth has a way of formulating words that melts me ... I feel as if the universe has sent me her book to tell me I'm on the right course." — DAVINA MCCALL, Instagram "Powerful and comforting ... Donna's words could change your life." — DAWN...

Poet Darby Hudson presents an expanded collection of his viral Instagram posts, in which he offers a deeply human glimpse into his mother's unique way of looking at the world, inspiring readers to find joy in every moment.Darby, Love . . . is equal parts wonder, chaos, and humanity. It's a conversation between the living and the dead, mom and son,...

Black Sugarcane is a landmark debut collection by Nafanua Purcell Kersel. Restless in form and address, these engaging and generous poems ricochet from light to dark, quiet to loud, calm to violence. We meet a loved twin sister as she dives towards the Sacred Centre, a grandmother who knows everything by heart, a shrugging office clerk, and Nafanua herself, an...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. I Have More Souls Than One showcases the poignant poetry of Fernando Pessoa. In these verses: 'But no, she's abstract, is a bird Of sound in the air of air soaring, And her soul sings unencumbered...

My heart has made its mind upAnd I'm afraid it's you. The Orange provides the perfect introduction to Wendy Cope, one of Britain's wittiest, best-selling and best-loved poets. In poems that can turn from laugh-out-loud funny to deeply moving, Wendy Cope offers reflections on love and life. From the joy of falling—and being—in love to ways to help you deal...

The complete collection of Donne's poems, including his famous Holy Sonnets, 'The Flea' and 'The Sun Rising'. No poet has been more wilfully contradictory than John Donne, whose works forge unforgettable connections between extremes of passion and mental energy. From satire to tender elegy, from sacred devotion to lust, he conveys an astonishing range of emotions and poetic moods. Constant...

Reflecting the voices of poets, soldiers, the families they left behind, and their comrades who would never return, The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry, previously published as In Flanders Fields, is edited with an introduction by George Walter in Penguin Classics. Unrivalled for its range and intensity, the poetry of the First World War continues to have a...

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair is Neruda's frank, sexual and romantic masterwork. This is one of the greatest collections of love poetry ever published. Inspired by Pablo Neruda's youthful relationships and injected with an expressive eroticism, these poems are as accomplished as they are evocative and sensual. First published in 1924 to international acclaim when Neruda was...

Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass by Lana Del Rey is a stunning debut collection of poetry that captures the essence of thought, emotion, and introspection. Deeply personal and richly lyrical, the poems invite readers into an intimate world where raw honesty intertwines with poetic artistry. Each poem is a glimpse into fleeting moments and profound reflections, presented with a...

Discover Dante's original Inferno - the inspiration for Dan Brown's new novel - in this modern and acclaimed Penguin translation. Describing Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide, Inferno depicts a cruel underworld in which desperate figures are condemned to eternal damnation for committing one or more of the seven deadly sins. As he descends through nine concentric...

For the first time, Rupi Kaur’s heartfelt love poems are together in one intimate and timeless collection!love will comeand when love comeslove will hold youlove will call your nameSince her groundbreaking debut with the bestselling milk and honey, Rupi Kaur’s poetry has become a source of comfort, empowerment, and emotional truth for millions around the world. Now, for the first...

Now a major movie. HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. All my days are consumed in longing – to travel home and see the day of my arrival dawn. If a god must shatter me upon the wine-dark sea, so be it. One of the most enduring tales ever told, The Odyssey is the original...

Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. A Penguin Classics Hardcover So begins Robert Fagles's magnificent translation of The Odyssey, literature's grandest evocation of an everyman's journey through life. Odysseus's reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival against...

First ever standalone edition of one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most important poetic dramas, that explores timely themes such as the nature of heroism and chivalry during war, and which features unpublished and never-before-seen texts and drafts. In 991 AD, vikings attacked an Anglo-Saxon defence-force led by their duke, Beorhtnoth, resulting in brutal fighting along the banks of the river Blackwater,...

The brand new poetry collection from the internationally bestselling poet and TikTok phenomenon, Whitney Hanson the love of my life is a poetry collection that traces the process of rediscovering a love for life after change, disconnection, and personal upheaval. Using the metaphor of fires, the book is structured in three sections: Burning, Ashes, and Reclamation—to reflect the cycles of...

In summer when I picked dandelionsfor the geriatric guinea pig I changed the world.I killed a weed. I filled a mouth with gold. In this debut poetry collection, Sophie van Waardenberg considers girlhood and grief, love and its loss, distance and the return home, including at its heart a sequence of emotionally raw ‘Cremation Sonnets’. In its essence, this collection...

My all-time favourite collection of poems . . . Gibran's poetry always roots me in my humanity. --Rupi Kaur, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Milk and Honey, The Sun and Her Flowers, and Home Body This stunning new hardcover edition features a full linen case, copper stamping, turquoise gilded edges, and coloured endpapers. It is one of the...

Selected Poems by Rumi is a mesmerising collection of profound and richly textured verses that delves into the depths of the human experience. This compilation showcases the unparalleled brilliance of Jelaluddin Rumi, a thirteenth-century Persian philosopher, mystic, scholar, and the founder of the Whirling Dervishes. Rumi's poetry transcends time, inviting readers on a spiritual journey that explores the universal themes...

For the first time in Penguin Classics, a new translation of Sappho's complete poetry. More or less 150 years after Homer's Iliad, Sappho lived on the island of Lesbos, west off the coast of what is present-day Turkey. Little remains today of her writings, which are said to have filled nine papyrus rolls in the great library at Alexandria some...

Together, the poetry of Hesiod and Theognis offers a superb introduction to the life and thought of ancient Greece. Hesiod's Theogony (c. 725 BCE) is a powerful creation myth: an epic, bloody tale of dark forces, sex, and violence, tracing the history of the world from primeval Chaos to the establishment of Zeus as supreme king of the gods. In...

In 1929, Robert Graves went to live abroad permanently, vowing 'never to make England my home again'. This is his superb account of his life, from his childhood and desperately unhappy school days to his time serving as a young officer in the First World War. Containing memorable encounters with fellow writers and poets, Goodbye to All That is a...

C.S. Lewis’ moving theological work in which he considers the most poetic portions from Scripture and what they tell us about God, the Bible, and faith. We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation In this wise and enlightening book, C. S. Lewis examines the Psalms....

The best-selling Rumi book ever is now better than ever! This revised and expanded edition of the comprehensive one-volume edition of America’s most popular poet includes a new introduction by Coleman Barks, and 81 new poems never published before. The ecstatic, spiritual poetry of Rumi is more popular than ever, and The Essential Rumi continues to be far and away...

Folly exists because good literature should turn you on a little. Intellectually, emotionally – sometimes viscerally. We’re not here to bore you. We’re here to dazzle you, disturb you, make you snort into your coffee and send screenshots to friends with a ‘WTF’ caption. This third annual issue is culturally charged with works from emerging and established voices across Aotearoa...

A timeless tale of war, pride, and the cost of glory Homer's The Iliad stands as one of the greatest achievements in Western literature. Set during the final weeks of the Trojan War, the epic centres on Achilles, the Greeks' greatest warrior, whose pride and wrath threaten the fate of his comrades. As the armies of Troy and Greece clash,...

An anthology of some of the greatest poetry in the English language. Poetry and music have been associated with each other from the very beginning. The Penguin Book of English Song draws together a great variety of English poetry (including Irish, Scots and Welsh writers) that has reached a wider audience through the magic of music. Richard Stokes's rich anthology...

One of the major poets of Romanticism, Wordsworth epitomized the spirit of his age with his celebration of the natural world and the spontanous expression of feeling. This volume contains a rich selection from the most creative phase of his life, including extracts from his masterpiece, The Prelude, and the best-loved of his shorter poems such as 'Composed Upon Westminster...

Best of Australian Poems 2025 is an annual anthology that collects both previously published and unpublished poems, creating a poetic snapshot and barometer of the year that was. Capturing the richness and diversity of Australian poetry from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, the series, now in its fifth year, explores how poetic responses to the contemporary moment develop...

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER For the past decade, Lemn Sissay has composed a short poem as dawn breaks each morning. Life-affirming, witty, and full of wonder, these poems chronicle his own battle with the dark and are fuelled by resilience and defiant joy. Let the Light Pour In is a collection of the best of these poems, and a...

Writer, comedian, and content creator Elyse Myers gets real about life’s awkward moments in her bold, funny, and unfiltered debut book. Elyse Myers is known to her twelve million followers as “The Internet’s Best Friend,” sharing her relatable stories and comedic sketches and serving as an advocate for topics such as neurodivergence, impostor syndrome, body image, and more. Whether she’s...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Television Was a Baby Crawling Toward That Deathchamber 'Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes! - and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing by the watermelons?' Profane and prophetic verses about sex, death, revolution...

Explore the essence of life, love, nature, and time in exquisite verse with this elegantly designed edition of The Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson. Born in 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a prominent New England family and educated at Amherst Academy and Mt. Holyoke Female Seminary, Emily Elizabeth Dickinson lived most of her life in seclusion, devoted to writing. She...

Over the course of his short life, John Keats (1795-1821) honed a raw talent into a brilliant poetic maturity. This wide-ranging selection of Keats's poetry contains youthful verse, such as his earliest known poem Imitation of Spenser; poems from his celebrated collection of 1820 - including Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St Agnes, Ode to a Nightingale and Hyperion -...

The best poet in America - Jean Genet He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels - Leonard Cohen The definitive collection from a writer whose transgressive legacy and raw, funny, acutely observant writing has left an enduring mark. Here is Bukowski eating walnuts and scratching his back, rolling a cigarette while listening to Brahms, showering with Linda in...

New translation by Alicia Stallings, with an introduction by Richard Jenkyns. On the Nature of Things by Lucretius is a poem that blends scientific inquiry and philosophical exploration with some of the greatest poetry ever written. With intense moral fervour, Lucretius seeks to show humanity that there is nothing to fear in death, as the soul is mortal and the...

'The most moving lines literature has achieved' – Jorge Luis Borges. In The Divine Comedy & Paradise, having plunged to the uttermost depths of Hell and climbed the Mount of Purgatory, Dante ascends to Heaven, continuing his soul's search for God, guided by his beloved Beatrice. As he progresses through the spheres of Paradise, he grows in understanding, until he...

In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer created one of the great touchstones of English literature, a masterly collection of chivalric romances, moral allegories, and low farce. A story-telling competition between a group of pilgrims from all walks of life is the occasion for a series of tales that range from the Knight's account of courtly love and the ebullient Wife of...