Audiobooks by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue / The Physician's Tale (Middle & Modern English)

Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society, and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of The Knight's Tale to the joyous bawdy of the Miller's; all are told with a freshness and vigour in this modern verse translation that make them a delight to hear.

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Various, Various Narrators (Narrator)

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The Canterbury Tales: The Knyghtes Tale (Middle English)

The Knight's Tale of medieval wars and chivalry is the first tale told to the pilgrims as they set out to Canterbury. It concerns Theseus, returning from fighting at Thebes, two brother knights Palamon and Arcite, imprisoned but yearning for their loves. But the real hero of this recording is Richard Bebb who, with the help of Professor Derek Brewer, the leading expert on Chaucerian pronunciation, makes the original Middle English not only comprehensible to the modern ear, but exciting.

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Richard Bebb (Narrator)

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Canterbury Tales III

Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, a collection of narratives written between 1387 and 1400, tells of a group of thirty people from all layers of society who pass the time along their pilgrimage to Canterbury by telling stories to one another, their interaction mediated (at times) by the affable host - Chaucer himself. Naxos AudioBooks' third volume presents the tales of six people, here in an unabridged modern verse translation (by Frank Ernest Hill, (1935)). This is an ideal way to appreciate the genuinely funny and droll talent of England's early master storyteller. Seven leading British actors bring the medieval world into the twenty-first century, and at least in terms of character, not much seems to have changed!

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Nicholas Boulton, Stephen Thompkinson (Narrator)

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The Canterbury Tales: Penguin Classics

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Lesley Manville (winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress and known for Phantom Thread and Mum), Derek Jacobi (winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and known for Gladiator and Gosford Park), Michael Balogun (known for National Theatre Live: Macbeth), Jay Bernard (writer of Surge, artist, film programmer and activist) , Seroca Davis (known for Prime Suspect and Doctor Who), Daniel Weyman (winner of Audiobook Narrator of the Year at the Audio Production Awards 2016 and known for Gentleman Jack and A Very English Scandal) and Roy McMillan (winner of an Earphone Award for narration on Conclave and award-winning producer). This definitive recording is translated by, and includes an Introduction by Nevill Coghill. 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 Bath's Arthurian legend, to the ribald anecdotes of the Miller and the Cook. Translation copyright © Nevill Coghill, 1951 and Nevill Coghill Ltd, 2019 (P) Penguin Audio 2019

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Daniel Weyman, Derek Jacobi, Jay Bernard, Lesley Manville, Michael Balogun, Seroca Davis (Narrator)

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The Canterbury Tales

The classic collection of beloved tales, both sacred and profane, of travelers in medieval England. One of the greatest and most ambitious works in English literature, in the original Middle English. The Canterbury Tales (Middle English: Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of over 20 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century, during the time of the Hundred Years' War. The tales (mostly written in verse, although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Group (Narrator)

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Canterbury Tales, Vol. 1 (Modern English Verse Translation)

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Various Readers (Narrator)

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Verona

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Tanya Brack (Narrator)

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The Canterbury Tales II

Four more delightful tales from one of the most entertaining storytellers of all time. Though writing in the thirteenth century, Chaucer's wit and observation comes down undiminished through the ages, especially in this accessible modern verse translation. The stories vary considerably from the uproarious Wife of Bath's Tale, promoting the power of women to the sober account of patient Griselda in the Clerk's Tale.

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), John Rowe, Various, Various Readers (Narrator)

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The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer's finest work begins at the Tabard Inn, where thirty travelers of widely varying classes and occupations are gathering to make the annual pilgrimage to Becket's shrine at Canterbury. It is agreed that each traveler will tell four tales to help pass the time during their long journey, and that the host of the inn will reward the best storyteller with a free supper upon their return. Thus we hear, translated into modern English, the knight's tale, the merchant's tale, the miller's tale, the wife of Bath's tale, twenty-some tales in all. Some are bawdy, some spiritual, some romantic, some mysterious, some chivalrous. Between the stories, the travelers converse, joke, and argue, revealing much of their individual outlooks upon life as well as what life was like in late-fourteenth-century England.

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Various Readers (Narrator)

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The Canterbury Tales

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. “Chaucer’s blend of humour, realism, philosophical depth, poetic virtuosity, and masterful control of dialogue and character was never matched…As a storyteller, he is supreme.”--Cambridge Guide to Literature in English

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Bill Wallace, Cameron Stewart, Kim Hicks, Maggie Ollerenshaw, Mark Meadows, Ric Jerrom, Various Narrators (Narrator)

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Abbey Poets

Westminster Abbey has seen much during its long, rich history. The coronations of Kings and Queens, the burials of Prime ministers. However it is also a church that remembers the men and women of the arts. Dedicated writers and poets who spoke so eloquently that the Nation wished to bid farewell on a stage grand enough to match their talents. Their talents and works are worth remembering and here, in this volume, their wise words speak too and for us all.

Geoffrey Chaucer, Robert Browning, William Congrieve (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling

Author Peter Ackroyd has won the Somerset Maugham Award, the Whitbread Novel of the Year, and the Guardian Fiction Prize, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Based on Geoffrey Chaucer's immortal work, this retelling of The Canterbury Tales follows a party of travelers as they tell stories amongst themselves about love and chivalry, saints and legends, travel and adventure. Through allegory, satire, and humor, the tales help pass the time during their journey.

Geoffrey Chaucer, Peter Ackroyd (Author), Colin McPhillamy, Ron Keith, Toby Leonard Moore (Narrator)

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